Ryoushi no Yoru
by Yume no Kokoro
Summary: COMPLETE! AU- In a world of demons, three human girls are the witnesses of an ancient Prophecy, curse, and war. Pls R&R! (HxL, UxC, FxF)
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Magic Knight Rayearth and all its characters belong to CLAMP.

~*~*~*~*~

"I've got a new mission for us, guys!" Umi Ryuuzaki yelled to her two best friends, Hikaru Shidou and Fuu Hououji. "This one is the one we've been training for!" 

In her hands, Umi held a thin scroll, tied in a scarlet red ribbon. Umi walked over to a battered wooden table and rolled the scroll out upon it, revealing a map.

The two young women crowded around Umi to see the map and waited anxiously for Umi's plan. 

"I've been searching the map for any sign of a demon civilization. I've ruled out every colony we've defeated so far, and there's only one left." 

Umi laid her finger on the image of a mountain to the northwest. "This one," she declared. "According to the rumors from the villagers, the Demon Prince resides there." 

Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu's reason for becoming Demon Slayers was because of a tragic past. One day in their village, not too many years before, a pack of demons had attacked them. The entire village had been destroyed; many people perished—including the families of Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu. Ever since that day, they had sworn they would destroy all demons, and took on the roles of Demon Slayers. 

"That's the lair of the wolf demons," Fuu pointed out while observing the map carefully. "The castle is called _Ryoushi no Yoru._" 

"A _wolf_ demon prince?" Umi mused, mostly to herself. 

"Wow!" Hikaru, the fiery red-head, exclaimed. "A Demon Prince!" 

"We're... supposed to assassinate him?" Fuu pondered. 

Umi nodded. "That's what I was thinking." She pulled her sword from its scabbard and gently ran her fingers swiftly across the dragon-shaped hilt and down its side. "A wolf pack, eh? This should be fun." 

~*~*~*~*~ 

"Your Highness..." a cautious voice echoed throughout the dark chamber. 

"What is it, Clef?" the Prince responded as he turned to face his comrade, who was crouched on one knee in deep respect. The prince's bright golden eyes shimmered in the dim light and his forest green hair seemed unusually dark. His ears were at a small point (almost like an elf's, but not so long), as were all wolf demons' ears. His long tail was barely visible from under his cape. 

"Prince Ferio," Clef addressed his prince with the utmost caution in the event of bad news. "I..." Clef hesitated. His clear blue eyes reflected a tentative worry. His lavender hair glowed softly in the faint radiance of a single candle. Letting out a long sigh, he shook his head lightly. "Prince, it has been reported to me that a group of Demon Slayers have set out in hope of assassinating you." 

Ferio's lips curled into a malicious smile, revealing a pair of sharp, wolf-like fangs. "Oh, really?" Ferio reached to a small, elegant table beside him and picked up a extravagantly detailed wineglass. He wrapped his clawed fingers around its base and brought the deep, red liquid to his mouth. He drank the wine thirstily and then positioned the elegant, crystal glass below his chin. He licked the side of his upper lip slowly, a small smile still upon his lips. 

"Then we must get rid of them." 

Clef's grip upon his staff tightened slightly, then relaxed. "Shall I send scouts to search for them?" 

Ferio placed the wineglass beck on the table. "No," he stated. "We'll wait until tomorrow night, the night of the new moon. Then, we will have the advantage. They won't be able to kill us if there is no light for them to see us by. Of course, I expect you to lead them, Clef. After all, you are our most skilled magic-user. Not to mention the only mage left." Ferio laughed softly and coldly. 

At his words, Clef tensed. It hadn't been the magic-user remark that had left him so uneasy—he had always been the high mage, and he was indeed the only mage left alive—but the thought new moon petrified him. 

Ferio had, without a doubt, seen Clef's reaction to being assigned to the ambush on the night of the new moon. Clef had always, for some reason, disappeared on the night of the new moon without a trace, only to return the next morning as if nothing had happened. Ferio planned to find out exactly why. 

"I understand, Your Highness," Clef said shakily. 

"Good." 

Clef stood and left the room, his tail swaying softly behind him. Once he was gone, Ferio was left alone to ponder. Why in the world would Clef keep disappearing every time the moon was black? Ferio brought a hand to his chin and stroked it thoughtfully. The possibilities were endless! Ferio sighed. Soon enough, he would find out what had been driving his friend crazy all that time. 

~*~*~*~*~

So, what do you think? ^_^ Sorry if the formatting is bad, I'm still trying to figure out how to format it. Please review! Please be gentle with your reviews, this is my first fic. 


	2. The Mysterious Light

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Magic Knight Rayearth, or any of its wonderful characters.

~*~*~*~*~

Clef walked silently down the hall, contemplating the mysteries of life, or anything else he could find to amuse himself at the moment. Bored stiff, he leaned against the wall and looked around quietly. He watched a spider begin to scurry up a wall, and decided to have some fun with it. He lifted a finger and moved it in a circular motion, and sparks of magic began to dance along his fingertips. The spider was slowly lifted off the wall and hovered in midair. With another twirl of his finger, Clef lifted the spider higher into the air, and then had it slowly descend towards the ground. The spider twitched in panic and hurriedly tried to escape. Clef dully lifted the spider up and down and side to side with limited interest. He was about to place the spider back upon the wall when someone caught him quite by surprise. 

"Master Clef!" a voice yelled, quite loudly (and most excitedly), into his ear.

Clef withdrew his breath sharply in surprise and jumped slightly. His hand jolted and the spider burst into flames, dropping to the ground in ashes. He turned his head to see a the familiar face of his student, a fox demon, looking back at him intently. 

"A-Ascot!" Clef exclaimed in surprise.

"Master Clef?" Ascot asked curiously. "Did I startle you?"

"No!" Clef shook his head firmly. "You just... caught me off guard."

Ascot glanced at the small pile of ashes on the floor. "I think that spider would say otherwise."

Clef looked, momentarily, at the once-was spider and sweatdropped. He shrugged slightly. He wasn't really fond of spiders, anyways.

"Well," said Clef after a short pause. "Was there something you wanted to tell me, Ascot?"

The fox demon's ears twitched slightly and his tail swayed back and forth slowly.

"I think I've mastered the fire spell! I...."

And he continued to discuss his achievement until Clef silenced him and walked away.

~*~*~*~*~

"Come on, you guys!" Hikaru called to Umi and Fuu. The girls, slowly climbing up the side of a mountain to reach the _Ryoushi no Yoru_ lair near the top of the mountain, panted with breathlessness and looked up at Hikaru. She scampered up the side of the mountain with ease as if she had been raised in its caverns. 

Umi and Fuu exchanged glances. 

"Where _does_ she get all that energy?" Umi whispered harshly to Fuu.

Fuu only shrugged before continuing upward.

As Hikaru climbed up the mountain, she reflected on her training as a Demon Slayer. Since she was a toddler, she had been trained to defend herself against anything. She remembered training with her family and fellow villagers in the fields of swordsmanship and martial arts. The martial arts were her specialty. Umi had been trained in the same fields, though swordsmanship and been her emphasis. Fuu had trained mainly in archery and defense. 

Hikaru pushed their training from her mind and concentrated on the climb up the precipice. Soon enough, she reached a large ledge near the type. She pulled herself up on the ledge and stood, observing her surroundings. She peeked over the ledge to see Umi and Fuu not far behind. She held out her hand and helped Fuu, then Umi, onto the ledge. The looked up, and saw a narrow, rocky path leading directly to the castle of _Ryoushi no Yoru_. The problem: the path was a thin, narrow ledge jutting off the side of the mountain, and if they fell, it was a _long_ was down.

Umi whimpered slightly as she stared at the ledge.

Fuu sighed. "I guess we have one more obstacle before we reach the castle."

"That's not an obstacle!" Umi whined. "It's a monumental obstruction!"

"What do you think, Hikaru?" Fuu asked her friend's opinion.

Hikaru put her hand to her chin and stood in what appeared to be deep thought. Finally, she sighed and placed both her hands on her head.

"I dunno," she concluded intelligently. 

Fuu and Umi sighed.

"Then I guess we have no choice but to climb and try not to look down," Umi moaned as the began their long walk to the castle.

~*~*~*~*~

After hours of hard work, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu finally reached the end of the path. Umi dropped to her knees on the solid ground below her and took a deep breath.

"I never, ever want to do that again!" she gasped.

Hikaru and Fuu laughed lightly and Fuu lifted her head towards the sky.

"It's getting dark," she observed. "We should probably set up camp. We still have about a mile before we reach the castle."

Hikaru and Umi nodded and propped their weapons against a tree. Umi and Fuu gathered dry leaves and twigs and set them together in a pile. Hikaru lit a match and started a comforting fire.

~*~*~*~*~

Clef dashed swiftly down the dimly lit corridors. He ran quietly and skidded to a stop at a window. He looked out at the dark night, his wide azure eyes scanning the blackened sky for any sign of the moon. But the night was dark and moonless.

"Dammit!..." he whispered harshly. The night seemed to be calm, but he could see a dim red light, far off in the night sky. Panic flooded into his body and he resumed his rapid dash down the hallway. 

Once he reached his room, he bolted inside and shut the door tightly behind him. He grabbed the key to the door from a nearby table and locked the door. With a deep sigh of relief, he leaned his back against the door and slowly slid to the ground. He glanced quickly at the window to see the light had grown slightly stronger.

"So the war has begun," he whispered gravely.

Clef groaned and lifted himself off the ground. He made his way over to a bejeweled chair on the other side of the room and sat down, watching with solemn blue eyes as the light slowly approached the castle. Every moonless night, he had disappeared to watch out for this very light, and he hid away for a reason directly linked to it . . .

~*~*~*~*~

OK, well that's chapter 2... ^_^ Please review! Constructive criticism is welcome! Thanks!


	3. The Red Curse

Disclaimer: I don't own Rayearth.

Oh, by the way... Did I mention I was using the OVA Clef in this fic?

~*~*~*~*~

"Prince Ferio," a tall wolf demon clad in black armor addressed the Prince of Demons.

"Yes, Lantis?" the Prince answered the man. Lantis stood, his sword firmly placed in its scabbard. He bowed slightly under the prince's gaze and glanced to his left where his friend and fellow warrior, Eagle, an eagle demon (go figure...), stood. Eagle stood, straight and tall, in front of Ferio. Eagle's long white wings were delicately folded at his back. His light blue, gold, and white robes blatantly complemented his platinum blonde hair and golden eyes.

"Your majesty," Lantis said again. "Those three demon slayers have been sighted approximately one mile from the castle."

Ferio's eyes hardened. "A mile?"

"Yes."

"And there's only three of them?"

"Yes."

Ferio's brow wrinkled in thought for a moment. "Then we shall ambush them from there, as planned. Still, I expected them to still be much farther from here."

"Yes, sir," Lantis responded. His violet eyes glimmered in anticipation.

"Where is Clef?" Ferio asked. "I assigned him to be the head of this mission."

Lantis's raven black hair blew slightly in the draft that had entered the room. "I don't know, Your Highness."

A low growl emitted Ferio's throat. Clef had performed his infamous disappearing act again. 

"Fine," Ferio growled. "Lantis, Eagle... I'm counting on you to capture those three slayers and bring them here. And I want them _alive_."

"As you wish," Lantis responded. He bowed slightly and turned, exiting the chamber. Eagle followed, not far behind.

~*~*~*~*~

Lantis and Eagle quietly made their way down to the small camp of the three Demon Slayers. The hid behind the nearby bushes and stealthily watched them with keen eyes. The three girls sat around the rather small camp fire, chattering quietly. Lantis held out one hand and concentrated on the fire, as puny and non-light emitting as the fire was. As a former student of Clef's, he knew a little bit of magic, too. He began to slowly point his fingers downward, and the flame slowly began to die. The three girls gasped as their flame suddenly went out. 

It was time for Eagle and Lantis to make their move.

They darted towards the girls and seized them in their arms. The two demons could see semi-decently in the night. They both placed gags firmly around the Demon Slayers' mouths and held them tightly as they kicked and tried desperately to escape. Eagle grabbed the weapons sitting by the tree and dragged Fuu towards the castle, while Lantis followed with Umi and Hikaru.

~*~*~*~*~

When they were inside the castle, Lantis and Eagle threw Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu into a dark, vacant chamber and locked the door. The girls were left alone, and that's where the two men made their mistake.

The girls were left with their hands tied behind their backs. Umi sat angrily on the floor, trying desperately to chew off the gag. After giving up, she reached slowly up her sleeve and drew a dagger from an arm band above her wrist. She maneuvered the knife around carefully and positioned it by her wrists, which were bound by strong ropes. She began to cut away at the ropes until the ropes snapped, freeing her arms. She reached down and released her ankles from tight ropes, as well. She yanked the gag from her mouth and rushed over to release Hikaru and Fuu.

Once all three girls were free, Fuu began to pick the lock at the door to let them out. After several tries, she skillfully freed the lock with her pocket knife. The three Demon Slayers races down the halls, searching for a hiding place, or a way out.

Suddenly, they heard the muffled voices of two guards coming their way. Petrified, they desperately searched for somewhere to hide.

"That room!" Hikaru gasped as she pointed to the only door in the hallway. She ran towards it and grasped the doorknob. She shook the door in panic as she tried to turn the knob, but her efforts proved futile. "It's locked!" she gasped.

Fuu immediately bolted towards the door. She dropped to her knees and quickly began to pick the lock. Her breathing quickened as each try failed.

"Hurry!" Umi rushed in panic. "They're coming!"

"I'm trying!" Fuu's voice was shaking in alarm. Finally, the door clicked open. "Got it!" she whispered in relief.

They rushed inside and closed the door behind them. They're backs facing the room, all three of them put their ears to the door, listening closely to the guards outside.

First, they heard footsteps growing closer to their location.

"What's the matter?" the first guard asked in a low voice.

A pause.

"Nothing..." the second guard responded. "I just thought I heard something."

Another pause.

"There's nothing down here," the first guard said. "C'mon. Let's keep moving."

"Right."

Then, they heard footsteps leaving.

The Demon Slayers all let out a breath they didn't even know they were holding.

"Good," Umi breathed. "They're gone..."

"How rude," Fuu muttered. "Those men never even bothered to look at our faces. I doubt they even know we're female."

The three girls turned around in relief to find a tall, lavender-haired man staring at them with a agitated expression.

"Who are you?"

~*~*~*~*~

"Your Highness," Lantis addressed his Prince. "We have captured the three Demon Slayers."

Ferio's lips upturned into a smile. He gazed at Lantis and Eagle with friendly eyes. "Very good, Lantis. Eagle."

Lantis and Eagle shot quick glances at each other and grinned slightly. Eagle stood there not only with Lantis, but a woman standing behind him. A she-wolf, if you will. Her long golden hair was tied in a high pony-tail. She approached Eagle and nudged up close to him. She lifted her hand and stroked one of the large, gray-blue gems on Eagle's robes.

Ferio grinned lightly. "You both shall find a little something extra in your rooms this evening. I hope you like steak."

Lantis and Eagle shot more quick glances and each other. Both pairs of eyes glowed with anticipation. Good food was hard to come across these days if you were a demon.

"Presea," Ferio beckoned the blonde by Eagle's side.

The femme wolf demon stepped forth and bowed. "Yes, Prince Ferio?"

"See to it that our little human guests are well-cared for, if you know what I mean." Ferio flashed his sharp fangs.

Presea fingered a jeweled whip attached to her belt. "As you wish, my Prince." Her lips curled into a small smile, revealing a pair of white fangs. She rose to her feet and, after returning to Eagle's side, she, Lantis, and Eagle, left the Prince of Demons alone by his throne once more.

~*~*~*~*~

The three young Demon Slayers froze at the sight of the young man—a wolf demon. 

"I'll only ask nicely one more time," the man warned, raising his staff. "Who are you?"

The three Demon Slayers exchanged glances.

"We're...." Umi choked at the sight of the demon. "We're..."

"Demon Slayers..." he muttered. "It figures..."

Suddenly, the red light shone brightly and cascaded into the room. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu screamed, startled, and tried to shield their eyes. However, they stopped to see the man's demon tail, ears, claws, and fangs, disappear in the red light. Clef, too, had shielded his eyes and, as the light dimmed, he slowly removed his arm from its position in front of his face.

"It can't be!" Hikaru gasped, pointing at Clef. "You're human!"

"Not quite..." the man said. "In any case, young Demon Slayers, my name is Clef."

"What did you mean, 'not quite'?" Umi asked.

Clef didn't answer.

"Please, I have nothing against humans," he said, completely changing the subject. "I advise you take heed to my word and leave this place."

"What?" Hikaru asked.

"I said 'leave this place'." Clef said.

"I don't understand."

"The war has begun."

~*~*~*~*~

Ferio paced the room nervously. Not long after Lantis, Eagle, and Presea had left his chamber, the bright red light had flashed through the window. 

"_On the black night_," Ferio muttered to himself sternly. "_The red curse shall fall upon the earth, declaring the never-ending battle_..."

Ferio wandered towards the window and struck the cold, hard stone with a strong fist.

"Damn!" he yelled. "Where the hell have I heard that phrase before?!"

He knew the phrase from somewhere, he could sense it. But from where?

"The Prophecy..." he whispered, and his head jolted up. "The Prophecy!"

Suddenly, Ferio began to race down the halls. He ignored the puzzled looks of guards as he ran towards the library. Eventually, he came to two large doors. He pushed them open to find a large room filled with shelf after shelf of books. The library was quite neat and organized, but rather dusty. After all, hardly anyone came there anymore besides Clef and Ascot, and every once in a while, Eagle.

Ferio climbed up the ladder and searched the upper bookshelves. He skimmed each title quickly, with little success.

"Aw, the hell with it!" he grunted as he began tearing books of the shelves, until he came to a thick book about the legends of the demon world. He flipped through the pages until he came to the passage he was looking for:

__

The Prophecy of the Demons

On the black night, the red curse shall fall upon the earth, declaring a never-ending battle. Magic users of great strength shall be robbed of their abilities, humans robbed of their technology, to leave only brute strength for a battle of species to end it all.

There had been more, but Ferio could not make it out as it had been smudged to the point of illegibility—not that he cared, he had gotten what he came for.

Ferio pondered the words for some time. Magic users rendered powerless? That line echoed in his mind, over and over. He squinted at the page angrily and a deep growl emitted from his throat. Then, it hit him:

"Clef!"

~*~*~*~*~

"The war?" Fuu questioned.

Clef stared blankly ahead with cold blue eyes.

"_On the black night, the red curse shall upon the earth, declaring a never-ending battle. Magic users of great strength shall be robbed of their abilities, humans robbed of their technology, to leave only brute strength for a battle of species to end it all,_" Clef recited.

"The red curse?" Umi echoed.

"It's an ancient prophecy among the demon kind," Clef replied.

"You... you can't believe that!" Umi yelled. "That silly little myth!"

"Silly myth, you say?" Clef asked. "Have you not witnessed my powers being taken from me?"

There was a dull silence, but doubt shone in the Demon Slayers' eyes.

Clef stared at the three girls for a while, then motioned to the guns under their thick leather jackets. "Check your weapons," he ordered.

Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu pulled their pistols from under their jackets and cracked open the compartments to find them still loaded with bullets. They closed the compartments again and looked up at Clef.

"Go ahead," Clef said, holding his arms out to his sides. "Shoot me."

"What?!" Umi yelled in disbelief.

"You can't be serious!" Fuu stammered.

"Shoot me!" Clef yelled.

"No way..." Hikaru muttered in shock.

"Do it!" Clef yelled again.

With a shaking hand, Umi raised her gun, aimed, and fired.

The gun emitted a loud bang, then was silent. Clef stood in front of them, completely unharmed.

"What the heck?!" Umi cried. "I didn't miss, did I?"

"No," Clef replied, then pointed towards the ground. "Look."

On the floor, lay the bullet, turned completely into dust.

"No way..." Fuu whispered as the three crouched down to the ground. She fingered the dust and it faded before her eyes.

"It can't be..." Hikaru shook her head.

"You see?" Clef said in an 'I-told-you-so' voice. "The curse marks the start of the war."

"This..." Umi whispered. "This isn't possible!"

Suddenly, Clef head snapped up and he made a rather startled noise.

"What's wrong?" Hikaru asked.

"Go," Clef said, rushing to the door. "Go now!"

"What?" Umi yelled. 

"He's coming..." Clef stammered. "Go!"

"Who?" Fuu asked. "Who's coming?"

"Prince Ferio," Clef said. "Prince of the Demons."

Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu shot each other nervous glances.

"You must leave now!" Clef said. "You can't stay here with me. Ferio is coming for me."

"But— " Hikaru started.

"Split in different directions," Clef instructed, cutting Hikaru off. "If you run into anyone, do _not_ let them know who you are. Make something up if you have to." Clef opened the door. "Be careful."

Umi shot him a suspicious glance.

"Trust me," Clef told her before pushing them out the door.

~*~*~*~*~

OK, well that's chappie 3!! I hope the chapter is long enough this time. ^_^ Thank you to all my reviewers! You guys are awesome! Expect an update in about a week or so... I'm taking a short vacation, but then I'll be back! Please review!


	4. To Rendezvous with Demons: Part 1

Disclaimer: The wonderfully talented CLAMP owns Magic Knight Rayearth!!

Hehehe.... long time, no see, eh? Well, I'm back! I hope you like Chapter 4!! ^_^

~*~*~*~*~

Ferio raced down the halls as fast as his legs could carry him. His mind filled with uncertain thoughts. 

__

Clef... Ferio thought. _Could he be in danger? What did the Prophecy mean?_

His mind raced, as did his legs. He was distracted, however, when a golden-haired young woman ran in his direction. He stopped abruptly, and she ran into him. She crashed to the floor.

"G-gomen!" she began. She looked up at the man she had run into and her eyes grew wide.

Ferio was mesmerized by her beauty. 

"Pardon me, mademoiselle," he said, as graciously as possible. He bent down to help her up and realized she was a human. His brilliant golden eyes met her emerald green ones, which were covered by spectacles. 

Fuu was completely frozen as she stared at him: his fangs, his pointed ears, his tail. He was strikingly handsome. She couldn't help but stare at him.

"I'm terribly sorry," Ferio continued. "Please, accompany me to my bedroom chamber. Perhaps we can talk."

Ferio edged closer to Fuu, his lips brushing against her ear as he spoke.

"Oh," Ferio said suddenly, pulling away. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Prince Ferio. And you are?"

Fuu was pulled from her staring trance.

"Me?" she stuttered. "I'm Fuu," Fuu suddenly remembered Clef's advice and bit her lit nervously.

"Fuu?" Ferio asked. "That's a pretty name."

"Arigato," Fuu replied hesitantly.

"What's a pretty human wandering about a demon castle for, anyway?" Ferio asked skeptically.

"I'm..." Fuu paused. "A servant." Didn't he know she was one of the Demon Slayers aimed to kill him? Suddenly, Fuu figured it out. He was expecting men to be the Demon Slayers.

"A servant?" Ferio asked. "You're too pretty."

Fuu blushed.

"C'mon," he said, gently taking a hold on her arm. "Let's go to my room."

Fuu nodded hesitantly and went with him.

~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, Hikaru nervously searched the dark halls in the west wing of the castle. She peeked around each corner, making sure the coast was clear. Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.

"Are you lost, miss?" a voice asked.

Hikaru gasped and turned around to find her captors, Lantis and Eagle. They apparently didn't recognize her.

"Um..." Hikaru began. "Well, I..."

"Don't be alarmed," the platinum blonde assured her. "We have no intention of harming you. Are you a maid?"

Hikaru stood still.

"Step out into the light," the raven-haired man suggested.

Reluctantly, Hikaru obeyed. Lantis froze at the sight of her. To him, she was an angel, fallen from Heaven.

Eagle smiled. "That's better."

The men's appearance, strangely enough, did not alarm Hikaru. She found the wolf demon to be amazingly handsome, and the eagle demon to be the vision of elegance.

"Come," Lantis said nervously, though he didn't show his anxiety. "Perhaps you are hungry? We can find you something to eat."

Hikaru nodded and followed the two demons down the dimly lit hallways.

"May I ask your name?" Eagle asked in a friendly tone. 

"H-Hikaru," Hikaru replied. She then remembered Clef's advice about not revealing their identities and mentally kicked herself.

"Hikaru?" Eagle asked. "What a nice name. My name is Eagle."

"I'm Lantis," Lantis replied shortly.

__

Lantis... Hikaru thought dreamily.

__

The three walked down the halls until they came to a large door.

Lantis held his hand towards the door and waited. When nothing happened he put on a rather shocked expression and edged his hand closer, waited for the magic coursing through his veins to open the door for him. When nothing happened for a second time, he and Eagle exchanged puzzled glances and Lantis pushed the door open manually. He stood to the side with Eagle, who seemed quite shaken.

"After you," Eagle gestured to Hikaru as he tried his best to smile. Hikaru nodded and headed into the large room to be greeted by a long dining table.

"Have a seat," Eagle motioned to a chair and walked towards a silver dessert trolley. Lantis followed.

Hikaru sat in one of the velvet cushioned dining chairs and observed her surroundings. The walls and floor were made of marble, although the walls were cracked in numerous places. The velvet on the seats were worn and table was scratched. Nevertheless, the room was spectacular. Hikaru glanced over to where Lantis and Eagle stood. They leaned over the dessert trolley, as if admiring the Gateau de Chocolat, while actually conversing in hushed voices.

"What happened back there?!" Eagle whispered harshly.

"I don't know," Lantis replied. "The magic... just wouldn't come."

"You don't think it's..."

"What?"

"That Prophecy?"

"Prophecy?" Lantis questioned.

"You know," Eagle said. "The Prophecy Master Clef taught us when we were younger."

Lantis paused, probing his mind for this particular Prophecy. "The one about the war?"

"Yeah."

"It can't be..."

"Is there something wrong over there?" Hikaru called to them.

Eagle and Lantis spun around.

"No!" Eagle called back. "Nothing at all! Do you like sweets?"

Hikaru looked at him curiously. "Yeah, I do."

"Good," Eagle smiled, grabbing a bowl of ice cream for Hikaru and a strawberry parfait for himself. Lantis followed as Eagle headed towards the table. The two men sat down on either side of Hikaru, and Eagle handed Hikaru her ice cream.

"Arigato!" Hikaru said happily, then glanced at Lantis. "Aren't you going to eat anything, Lantis?"

"I don't like sweet foods," Lantis replied. "Go ahead and eat."

Hikaru smiled at Lantis, then to Eagle, who was picking delicately at his parfait.

"Thank you both," she smiled.

~*~*~*~*~

Umi snuck down the dark hallways timorously. She whimpered to herself and clutched her sword tighter. Suddenly, a rat scurried by her feet. She screamed shrilly and clutched her sword to her chest before clamping a hand over her mouth in hopes of stifling the sound.

"Is someone over there?" a voice called from behind a corner.

Umi looked around frantically, trying to find a place to hide. She turned towards the sound of footsteps coming towards her and stared, petrified, waiting for whoever it was to come around the corner and catch her.

"Hello?" the voice asked again questionably. Umi watched as a tall young man with brown hair and overgrown bangs hiding emerald green eyes turned the corner. Umi could barely make out a long fox tail and small fangs as well as pointed ears in the dim light. As he stepped into a small patch of light in the dark hallway, he saw his robes were white and green.

Umi stood shaking as the man approached her.

"I-it's alright," the man stammered as he saw her shaking in fear. "I won't hurt you—_can't_ hurt you, either. My magic won't work for some reason."

Umi bit her lip and stood upright.

"I'm Ascot," the man said. "What's your name?"

"Umi," Umi said bravely.

__

She's pretty... Ascot thought and blushed. _Just like her name..._

"Are you lost?" Ascot asked. "D-do you work for the Prince?"

Umi paused shortly, pondering the thought, and nodded.

__

"I'm trying to find my teacher," Ascot told her. "Would you like to come?"

Umi paused, then nodded. Anything was better than being alone in those creepy hallways.

Ascot blushed a bright red. "O-okay."

Together, they headed back down the hallways.

~*~*~*~*~

Clef ran as quietly as he could towards the Prince's chamber. He had sensed the Prince's change in direction and decided it was his duty to head after him: He had to warn Ferio of the curse—no matter what the cost. He dreaded the thought of waking the next morning and looking at the window to see a giant human mob around the castle. Somehow, he knew the word would get around that the demons had lost their supernatural powers.

Clef tried his best to hide his face as he raced down the corridor. He hoped the guards wouldn't notice his missing claws and fangs—he just knew that if the guards saw him, they would think he was a human invader. However, there wasn't much he could do about his missing tail. He had thought of tying one of his bed sheets around his waist and let it act as a tail, but he found it made him look like a deformed squirrel.

Clef spotted a open balcony, jutting from a large opening in the wall, and hid behind a pillar with his back facing the stone. He peeked around the pillar to see three guards standing at the edge of the balcony, overlooking the gardens. 

"Damn!" Clef cursed to himself. He glanced to his left and tried to estimate the width of the balcony and how long it would take him to run across to the other side. It would take him a good seven or so seconds to get to a safe, enclosed hallway—too long, but he would have to take the chance.

Clef took a deep breath and turned, racing in front of the balcony. The guards spotted him and, at not seeing any sign of the tail of a demon, automatically assumed an intruder.

"Intruder!" one of the guards yelled. "Fire!"

At the guard's command, the other two guards began to shoot their arrows at Clef. One arrow pierced his side while the other barely missed the top of his head. The force from the arrow nearly knocked Clef off his feet, but he regained his footing and made it to the protected hallway. He found a opening in the wall and ducked into it as the guards began to race after him. He stood perfectly still in the dark and waited as the guards rushed past him. Once he could no longer hear their footsteps, Clef stepped from the narrow opening and pulled the arrow from his side. He winced as the arrow was pulled from his skin. He knew the wound wasn't fatal—it hadn't been terribly deep—but it would definitely slow him down.

Clef dropped the arrow and clutched his side with one hand, the wall with the other. He could feel the blood seeping through his robes, and the feeling of the substance against his hand gave him a rather unpleasant sensation. Wincing, he slowly made his way towards Ferio's bedroom chamber.

~*~*~*~*~

Ferio opened the door to his chambers and motioned for Fuu to enter the room. Fuu hesitantly stepped inside and took a good look at the Prince's room. It was, by far, the most spectacular room she had seen so far: Velvet drapes hung over the window elegantly, and all of the furniture was made from a gorgeous mahogany wood. The room was dimly lit by a few candles placed in elegant sconces. When Ferio motioned for her to sit at the foot of the bed, Fuu noticed beautiful silk sheets.

"You're room is very..." Fuu trailed off, probing her mind for a word to describe the marvel in front of her eyes as she sat down.

"Very...?" Ferio encouraged her to continue.

"Beautiful!" Fuu sighed.

Ferio chuckled slightly. "It's rather comforting to me."

Fuu laughed lightly. Before she knew it, Ferio had engaged her in a deep conversation about palace life. He spoke of gorgeous balls in the most elegant rooms in the palace, and the people, or rather demons, they attracted.

"Why... I mean, there aren't any balls around here now, are there?" Fuu asked.

"No," Ferio shook his head sadly. "We demons have always been shunned by society. It's been that way for as long as I can remember. We used to all be able to live together, all of the demons and humans. But then, everything changed. We don't know what happened. Humans began to attack our villages, burn everything and slay our people. We retreated to fortresses for refuge, mostly to no avail. The castles used to be beautiful. Now, they are left in shambles. Even the castle we are in a this moment is a ruin."

"Ferio..." Fuu whispered. "I'm so sorry." And she truly was.

Ferio shook his head. "We suspected there was a traitor among us; someone who may have attacked the human kind, and turned them against us."

"Ferio..." Fuu muttered again. She stared into beautiful golden eyes and he looked back, becoming lost in a forest of emerald green.

Slowly, the gap between them began to close. Both pairs of eyes shut, and Ferio's lips brushed against hers. Fuu savored the soft kiss, and ran her hand down Ferio's battled-scarred cheek.

Their kiss was abruptly interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

Ferio reluctantly pulled himself away from Fuu and moved towards the door. Clef fell from the doorway, gasping for air. He fell onto his hands and knees and his blood dripped to the marble floors, staining the stone a deep red.

"Clef!" Ferio gasped and dropped to his knees by his friend. "For the love of decency, have you forgotten how to heal yourself?!"

Fuu stood up abruptly and stared, wide-eyed, at Clef. He shot Fuu a nervous glance as if to say: "What in the world are you doing here?"

"God, who did this...?" Ferio asked, shaking his head.

"The guards..." Clef gasped. "Guards... thought... human..." his words were jumbled.

"The guards?" Ferio asked. "What the hell are you mumbling about?"

"Ferio..." Clef gasped as more blood poured from his side. He looked up into the Prince's eyes, ignoring the fact that Fuu was staring at him. "The curse... the Prophecy!"

"Curse?" Ferio asked again.

"Ferio!" Clef panted harshly as he took one hand and lifted his flowing lavender hair away from his ears. He turned his head and Ferio clearly saw what he meant. Ferio grabbed Clef's hand and observed his fingernails carefully, seeing clawless fingers. He couldn't see any sign of a tail, either.

"Clef," Ferio breathed. "What the hell happened?"

~*~*~*~*~

Well, there it is! I hope you liked it! I'm going to try to upload as many chapters as possible over the next few weeks before I go on yet another vacation... (But, hey! It's summer, right?) Thank you to all of you who reviewed for your support! Look out Chapter 5!! R&R, kudasai!! ^^


	5. To Rendezvous with Demons: Part 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Rayearth! CLAMP does!

~*~*~*~*~

Hikaru dropped the silver spoon down to the bowl with a series of clatters. She smiled brightly, her ruby eyes dancing as she gazed at the empty bowl, once filled with sugary vanilla ice cream.

She beamed up at Lantis. "That was good!" she smiled.

Lantis's lips curled into an awkward sort of smile, but his mouth twisted into an odd shape, which just came to show how long it had been since he had last smiled.

As Lantis stared into Hikaru's bright, ruby-red eyes, a warm pleasure filled him. He found the feeling to be rather odd, but after a while, he decided he liked the gentle sensation.

Hikaru giggled and turned away, staring down at the table. All happiness seemed to leave her. There was a long silence before he spoke.

"Lantis?" she asked.

Lantis lifted his head.

"Do you hate humans?"

Lantis paused. "Yes..." he began. "...and no."

There was another long pause. "Why?"

Lantis looked at Hikaru in silent confusion.

"Why do humans and demons hate each other so much?" she asked again.

"Perhaps we are afraid of what we do not understand," Lantis answered.

"Afraid?"

Lantis nodded. "Maybe that why we so aimlessly attack each other... out of fear."

"Do you fear humans?"

"Yes," Lantis answered. "But, humans and demons have not always resided together."

Hikaru only stared at Lantis, waiting for an explanation.

"We demons once lived in an alternate realm," Lantis said. "Cephiro. We all lived together in harmony, until one day, when a human girl wandered into our realm. Her name was Emeraude. The High Priest, Zagato, of Cephiro, fell in love with the girl, and she with him.

"Love between humans and demons was forbidden, so the Cephirian gods took the life of the High Priest, and shunned all of Cephiro's inhabitants, while forcing them out onto the planet Earth.

"Overwhelmed with grief over the loss of her love, Emeraude took her own life in order to be with her love. Meanwhile, demons were overcome with fear of humans, humans equally fearful of demons, and they fought.

"That is how humans and demons began their never-ending battle."

Tears welled up in Hikaru's eyes, turning them to glassy red orbs.

Lantis hesitated, but reached out and brushed Hikaru's shoulder in gentle concern. Hikaru brushed a salty tear from her cheek.

"I... I don't think I hate demons anymore..." she sniffed. "I never considered how demons felt about humans. Now I know that not all demons are bad."

"And I know that not all humans are evil," Lantis whispered. "I know that there are evil demons just as there are evil humans."

Lantis froze and Hikaru dove into his arms, crying softly. He patted her back awkwardly, and she lifted herself from his arms. 

"I'm sorry," she said in a quavering voice. She looked carefully at Lantis and noticed a scar on the side of his neck that ran under his shirt.

"That scar..." Hikaru whispered. "How far does it run?"

Lantis's hand flew to his neck and he touched the scar gingerly. "It ends near my lower back, I suppose."

"Where did it come from?"

Lantis hesitated. "I was attacked by a human swordsman when I was a child."

Hikaru looked at Lantis sympathetically. "Why would anyone attack a child?"

Lantis's eyes hardened. "People are afraid of what they do not understand," he repeated.

Hikaru felt overwhelmingly sympathetic for the demon race. At that moment, she wanted more than anything to protect the demons she had met. She and Lantis stared deeply into each other's eyes, as if searching for some unknown emotion. Before she knew it, Hikaru found herself leaning towards Lantis, and he towards her. Their lips touched lightly before they both pulled away, as if they had just gained realization of their actions.

Lantis cleared his throat loudly and Hikaru's face was nearly as red as her hair. Suddenly, Eagle approached from behind them—he had gone off to check on a strange disturbance he had felt.

"Lantis," Eagle addressed the raven-haired swordsman. "May I have a word?"

Lantis furrowed his brow in silent confusion, but rose from his chair and followed Eagle to an isolated corner of the room.

"It's the curse foretold in the Prophecy," Eagle whispered. "I'm sure of it."

"We should alert His Majesty," Lantis replied sternly. "Prince Ferio."

Eagle nodded. "But what about...?" he gestured to Hikaru.

"We'll just take her with us..." Lantis said. "If she's a servant, then it shouldn't be a problem."

Eagle nodded again and the headed back towards Hikaru.

"We need to... run a little errand," Eagle said to Hikaru. "Would you like to come along?"

Hikaru paused, then nodded and stood. The three then headed towards Ferio's bedroom chambers.

~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, Ascot and Umi made their way towards Clef's room. After they headed down he narrow, winding hallways, they finally reached the door to Clef's room. Ascot stepped up and knocked on it firmly.

"Doushi Clef," he called knocking on the door. "Clef? Are you there?"

Ascot called a couple more times before grasping the doorknob and giving it a firm tug. To his surprise, the door opened with ease.

"That's strange..." Ascot muttered. "He never leaves his door unlocked..."

Ascot stuck his head inside the room and called out again. "Clef! Clef?"

"Is he there?" Umi asked from behind Ascot.

"No," Ascot shook his head. Suddenly, his head jerked up slightly.

"What's wrong?" Umi asked.

"I sense him..." Ascot mumbled. "He's near the Prince's chambers! C'mon!"

Ascot took Umi's hand and they raced down the hallways.

"I-I thought you said your magic wasn't working!" Umi called to Ascot. "How can you still sense people?"

"That's not magic!" Ascot replied. "It's demonic instinct!"

Umi cocked an eyebrow and continued to follow Ascot towards a large balcony. They were nearing the end of the balcony when suddenly, Ascot let out a loud cry and backed away. Umi stopped and turned around.

"What's the matter?" she asked. Ascot had covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve.

"That smell!" he replied in disgust.

"What smell?" Umi asked again.

"I smell blood!" Ascot exclaimed.

Umi grimaced. "Blood?"

Ascot didn't reply, but walked over to the edge of the balcony. He took a torch off the wall and kneeled on the floor. He held the torch over a small pool of blood.

Umi whimpered as she stared at the blood on the ground. 

"It's fresh blood..." Ascot whispered and made a disgusted face. Suddenly, something caught his eye. He moved the torch to his left and saw an arrow lying on the floor, the arrowhead was covered in blood.

Ascot shuddered and stood up. "Come on," he motioned to Umi. "Let's keep going."

Umi nodded shakily and followed Ascot further down the dark hallway.

~*~*~*~*~

Sorry this chapter's so short—I'm suffering from terrible writers-block at the moment. I hope the scene with Hikaru and Lantis was OK... I've never written H/L romance before. Anyways, thank you again to all of you who reviewed! I'll have Ch. 6 up as soon as I can! ^_^ 


	6. Secrets and Identities Revealed

Disclaimer: I don't own MKR... (but I wish I did.)

Yatta! Chapter 6! ^_^ Enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~

Back in Ferio's room, Fuu and Ferio helped Clef off of the floor. Clef winced slightly as they pulled him up, one arm around each of their necks, but not a sound escaped his lips. They helped him to a chair and Clef began to explain.

"So it _is_ the curse from the Prophecy..." Ferio whispered.

Clef nodded, then winced slightly. He gently touched the wound in his side.

"Clef-san," Fuu spoke up. "If you could just remove the front of your robes, I can tend to your wounds."

Clef hesitated, but snapped off the armor hanging on and around his shoulders before removing the front part of his robes, revealing a bare chest. Fuu examined the arrow wound in his side.

"Ferio?" Fuu turned to the wolf demon behind her. "You don't happen to have any bandages, do you?"

Ferio nodded and walked over to a large dresser. He opened the top drawer and took out a few cloth bandages. He returned to Fuu's side and gave them to her.

"Thank you," Fuu said. She looked around the room and saw a pitcher of water on Ferio's bedside table.

"May I use that?" she asked.

"Sure," Ferio said. He handed Fuu the pitcher and Fuu smiled sweetly at him. He blushed slightly, then sat down on his bed.

Fuu took a small piece of cloth and dipped it in the water before beginning to dab at Clef's wound with it. Clef shifted around in the chair slightly, not liking the feeling of the cold water against the open wound. Fuu dropped the bloodstained cloth to the ground and began to wrap the bandages around Clef's waist, covering the wound. She was almost finished when there was a knock at the door.

"Prince Ferio?" a voice asked from outside.

"Yes?" Ferio called back irritably.

The door opened slightly and Ascot stuck his head inside. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but... Doushi Clef?" Ascot spotted Clef sitting by the window, his side bandaged.

"Clef?" a female voice came from behind Ascot. Umi moved past Ascot and into the room.

"Umi!" Fuu cried in surprise.

"Fuu!" Umi called back before Clef caught her eye. He was hurriedly finishing the job of bandaging his side.

"Clef!" Umi exclaimed before rushing to his side. "You're hurt!"

"U-Umi!" Clef stuttered. He blushed hotly as he hastily returned the front of his robes to their proper place and secured his armor. "Erm... well, yes. But, it's not serious..."

"Clef?" Ferio asked. "You know this girl?"

"Uh..." Clef began.

Clef was spared when Lantis and Eagle moved into the doorway.

"Prince Ferio," Lantis said. "Please pardon the disturbance—"

"Umi! Fuu!" Hikaru cried from behind Lantis and Eagle. The two men stepped aside with puzzled looks as Hikaru raced into the room.

"Hikaru!" Umi and Fuu cried in unison.

The men stared baffled at the three girls as they exchanged warmhearted greetings. Finally, Lantis and Eagle approached Ferio.

"Prince," Lantis said. "Eagle and I believe the legendary curse from the prophecies is among us."

"I've noticed..." Ferio glanced at Clef, and Lantis and Eagle followed his gaze. Eagle raised an eyebrow at the humanized Clef, but Clef was to deep in thought to notice. Examining his short fingernails, he thought that if he ever accidentally locked himself out of his room, he wouldn't be able to pick the lock with his claws. Umi sat nearby, fussing over his injuries.

"I went to the library, and read the prophecy over," Ferio said. "but the bottom half of the page was completely illegible."

"That would be my fault," Clef said absentmindedly. 

"What do you mean?" asked Ascot, who was standing nearby.

Clef sighed heavily and looked up from his fingernails. "I suppose it's time everyone knew the truth..."

"Truth?" Ferio asked.

"I destroyed the bottom of the page in the book," Clef said.

"Why?"

"Because the contents of the rest of the Prophecy was frighteningly disturbing," Clef explained. "I knew when the time came that the Prophecy came true, you would be too panicked."

Ferio, Lantis, and Eagle exchanged glances.

"The Prophecy foretells the end of the demon race," Clef said grimly. "The slaughtering of the last of the demon kind."

Fuu's hand flew to her mouth in shock and the rest of the inhabitants of the room only stared, wide-eyed, at each other.

Finally, Ferio spoke.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Ferio growled.

"Haven't I already explained myself on that matter?" Clef replied.

Ferio clenched his teeth. He was about to shout back a witty reply, when Presea rushed into the room.

"Prince Ferio!" she called as she crouched down on the floor in deep respect. "The captured Demon Slayers... they have escaped!"

Hikaru, Fuu, and Clef exchanged frightened glances and Umi stared at Clef pleadingly.

"What?!" Ferio roared.

"I'm sorry!" Presea apologized hastily. "I was going down to the dungeons, but when I arrived, their cell was empty! The door was wide open!"

Ferio cursed loudly to himself and addressed Clef.

"Clef!" Ferio demanded. "Can you sense them? Are they in the castle?"

There was no reply.

"Clef!" Ferio demanded again. He turned around to see Clef shaking his head slowly.

"No, Ferio..." Clef said. He stood up and looked around at Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu. "Girls, your charade has gone on long enough."

"Clef!" Umi objected. She stood quickly and grabbed his arm.

"Don't worry," he whispered. "I won't let anyone harm you."

Umi bit her lip nervously.

"Fuu..." Ferio's reflected an angry pain. "You... you're a demon slayer? This whole time... you were deceiving me?"

"Ferio!" Fuu pleaded. "It's not like that!"

"You plotted to kill me?"

"No! I mean—those were my original intentions, but—!"

"You—!" Ferio began.

"But I want to help you!" Fuu yelled.

There was a long silence.

"Hikaru?" Lantis asked, his eyes reflecting the same pain as Ferio's. "You as well?"

Hikaru nodded. "But I also want to protect demons."

Ferio shook his head. "You really mean it?" he asked.

Fuu nodded. Ferio shot Clef a questioning glance and Clef nodded his approval.

Ferio smiled charmingly. "Thank you."

Suddenly, a flaming arrow shot through the window. It barely missed Umi's head and she screaming, clutching Clef tighter.

The arrow fixated itself in the floor and stuck from the marble at an angle.

Ferio darted towards the window and looked outside to see a mob of human soldiers standing at the base of the castle, poised for battle.

Ferio clenched his teeth and began to shout orders.

"Presea! Round up the soldiers! Get as many big weapons as you can!" he shouted.

"Right!" Presea responded and raced from the room.

"Ascot!" Ferio turned to the green-clad man.

"Yes," Ascot replied.

"Get your monsters ready," Ferio instructed.

"Of course," Ascot ran from the room as well.

"The rest of you come with me," Ferio said. Everyone in the room stood and crowded around Ferio. He turned to Fuu and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Sure?" Fuu asked.

"Are you sure you want to fight against your own kind?"

Fuu nodded. "I want to protect you," she said. "Humans have done demons a great injustice." She reached up and kissed Ferio lightly. He smiled.

"Thank you, Fuu." he said and turned to the rest of the group. "All right! Let's move!"

Ferio stood by the door, watching everyone file out, but when Clef tried to exit the room, Ferio blocked the door way. 

"Where do you think you're going?" Ferio asked.

"I want to fight along side my companions," Clef replied through clenched teeth.

Ferio shook his head. "You're useless in battle with that wound in place of your magic," he said. "You'll get yourself killed."

"Ferio!" Clef objected.

"No," Ferio replied firmly.

"Come on, Umi," Hikaru said to her friend from behind Ferio. Umi was still by Clef's side.

Umi shook her head. "I'll stay here with him."

"Umi!" Hikaru pleaded. Umi just shook her head and Hikaru sighed. "Fine."

Hikaru turned and followed Lantis. Ferio was about to leave when Clef placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ferio."

Ferio turned around.

"Be careful," Clef said.

Ferio smiled and nodded before heading into a curse-driven battlefield.

~*~*~*~*~

Yay! Well, there it is! Chapter 6! W00t! ^_^ It may be a little bit short, but writers-block can do that, ne? Hehe... thank you again to all the reviewers! This story is far from over! Stay-tuned for the start of the war!


	7. The First Battle

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN MKR!!!

OK! Ch. 7!!! Enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~

As they stepped in front of the palace gates, a bolt of lightning clapped through the sky. Hikaru could feel tiny raindrops falling gently onto the skin. Around the bodies of the seemingly endless group of demon soldiers in front of her, Hikaru could make out a human mob, only yards away from the castle gates. The human soldiers held torches in their hands, the flames shone light onto their faces, casting shadows upon certain areas of he face. They held swords in their hands, and the flames reflected off the blades.

Hikaru whimpered, biting her lip to the point of drawing blood. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to se Lantis standing over her.

"Are you nervous?" he asked gently.

Hikaru nodded. "A little."

Lantis smiled. "Don't worry," he said. "Just don't let your down and you'll be fine."

Hikaru smiled. Suddenly, she heard the cry of a wolf pierce the fight. She jumped slightly and looked in the direction of the howl to see a black wolf standing on top of a cliff nearby.

"That's the signal," Lantis whispered. Hikaru watched as suddenly all of the soldiers began poised for battle. Hikaru tried her best to mimic their stance. She shivered as the rain began to pour.

"Do you see that soldier in front?" Lantis asked, pointing to the front of the soldiers. "The big one in blue armor?"

Hikaru looked to the front, saw a tall, blonde wolf demon, and nodded.

"That's Lafarga," Lantis said. "He's the captain of the guard. Once he gives a second signal, we'll all charge."

Hikaru nodded nervously. "All right."

Suddenly, Lafarga raised his sword into the air and called out loudly. All the soldiers raced into battle.

"Come on!" Lantis called to Hikaru as he began to run. Hikaru followed and she quickly found a soldier to fight. Their swords clashed, and Hikaru could hear the screech of Ascot's flying beasts from above her head. The sound of clashing swords rang in her ears. She diverted her attention back to her opponent, and she quickly had him down. Hikaru was relieved to see that she had not killed the man. She looked up from the man's body and was immediately confronted by another soldier. Hikaru tried to wipe the rainwater from her face, but she only smudged her cheek with the mud on her hands.

Over on the other side of the battlefield, Ferio was head to head with a soldier and was not going to go easy on him.

"We know you're magic is gone, you filthy demon," the soldier hissed.

"Idiot!" Ferio hissed back. "I could take you down with my bare hands, you pathetic human."

The man snickered as their swords clashed again. "You're nothin' but a scared little puppy dog!"

"Ha! 'Scared little puppy dog', my ass!" Ferio snapped. Just for effect, he bared his fangs and growled.

The man inhaled sharply and Ferio knocked him to the ground. Ferio grinned sinisterly at the man, who was cowering on the floor.

"You're lucky I didn't feel like spoiling that nasty attitude of yours by killing you," Ferio hissed before walking away from the man's cowering form, to fight at Fuu's side.

Lantis, who was fighting quite a number of yards away from Ferio, was not having as much luck with his fight. Four soldiers had jumped him, and he was not faring well. He thrashed madly, trying to get the soldiers off him. Hikaru saw his struggle and rushed to his aid.

"Lantis!" she cried. She jumped into the fight and ripped three soldiers from Lantis while Lantis took care of the last one. All of the soldiers crashed into the mud, screaming.

"Are you all right?" Hikaru asked to Lantis, who was crouched on the ground. A trickle of blood was running down his cheek and he had many scratches on his arms.

Lantis nodded. "I'm fine."

"H-Hikaru...?" a trembling voice called her name.

Hikaru looked up to see one of the men she had just attacked. His eyes reflected the deepest pain. "How could you, Hikaru?"

A hand flew to Hikaru's mouth. "Satoru!" she whispered harshly. "Brother..."

Satoru shook his head sadly. "Hikaru..."

Hikaru only sat, trembling and staring. "I'm sorry, Satoru..."

A man ran up to Satoru and began to help him up with cries of "Come on! Get up!"

Satoru's eyes never left Hikaru and Lantis. "I hope you're happy with your choice, little sister," Satoru whispered before he left with the other soldier.

A tear ran down Hikaru's cheek and Lantis put and hand on her shoulder. "Come on," he encouraged.

Hikaru shook her head and stood. "You go ahead," she whispered.

Lantis nodded and left to fight. Hikaru sighed and looked towards the window where Clef and Umi were.

"This is the right choice," she whispered. 

However, she didn't notice the figure sneaking up behind her, sword raised.

~*~*~*~*~

Up at the window to which Hikaru looked, Umi looked out upon the battle with worried eyes. She sighed, and felt a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Hikaru and Fuu will be all right," Clef assured her. "Lantis and Ferio will take good care of them."

Umi turned to Clef and smiled softly. "You're right," she said.

There was a long silence.

"Why did you decide to stay behind with me?" Clef eventually asked.

Umi bit her lip. "Oh, n-no reason," she replied.

Clef's heart sank. "Oh."

There was another awkward period of silence.

"Clef?" Umi asked.

Clef lifted his head.

"Why, if all demons lost their magic tonight, were you the only one to lose your demon traits?" Umi asked.

"Because," Clef answered. "I was born with magic powers. The only thing that sustains my magic is what I am. The others, they were taught magic, not born with it. They only lost the ability to use it."

"Will you eventually turn back into a demon?"

"Yes," Clef replied. "If the demon race can survive this war, that is."

"Oh," Umi answered and began to chew on her fingernails, a habit she hoped to grow out of.

"You look good," Umi said suddenly. "As a human, I mean."

Clef looked at her awkwardly.

"Oh, not that you didn't look good as a demon!" Umi added quickly. "It's just, I guess I'm just used to, you know, human men."

Clef laughed lightly. "Thank you?" he replied questionably, not quite sure how to take the complement.

Umi smiled and moved over to sit beside Clef. She was quite close to him, and he shifted slightly. Umi bowed her head and smiled peacefully.

"Do you believe in love at first sight?" she asked.

Clef blinked in slight confusion. "Yes," he answered.

Umi turned towards him. "Good," she said. "because so do I."

Suddenly, Umi leaned towards Clef and kissed him. At first, he was taken by surprise, but then he deepened the kiss. Umi ran her fingers through his lavender hair and fiddled with the teardrop earrings dangling from his earlobes. When they finally pulled away, Umi tossed a few strands of hair over her shoulder and giggled lightly. Clef only grinned slightly.

Suddenly, they heard a loud scream. Umi bolted to the window and looked out onto the battlefield to see Hikaru crouched on the ground, clutching her shoulder. A man was closing in on her. Umi cried out to Hikaru as Eagle and Lantis rushed to her rescue.

Umi turned around and faced Clef. "I've got to help them!" she cried as she bolted towards the door. As she grabbed her sword when Clef cried, "Umi!"

Umi turned around and Clef was immediately beside her, his staff ready.

"I'm coming with you," he said.

"Clef, you can't!" Umi objected. "What if you get hurt?"

"I promised I wouldn't let anyone harm you," Clef replied. "How can I do that if I can't be there?"

"Clef..." Umi began.

"I don't have a sword, but..." Clef held out his staff. "My staff makes for a pretty handy mallet."

Umi laughed. "Let's go," she said.

Clef nodded and they headed out into the battlefield.

~*~*~*~*~

Yay! Chapter 7! ^_^ *gasp* What shall happen to Hikaru?! Hehe... don't worry, she'll live. I don't like to kill off characters unless it's ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY! *Ahem* Anyways, thanks again to all the reviewers! I'll get working on Chapter 8 right away! Till then! PLEASE REVIEW! ^^;;


	8. Far From Over

Disclaimer: I don't own Rayearth, so don't sue me!!! ^_^

~*~*~*~*~

Hikaru looked to the window where Umi and Clef were and sighed. Suddenly, a soldier approached from behind her. His sword came down on her shoulder, and an ear-splitting scream pierced the night.

~*~*~*~*~

Umi and Clef raced towards the castle gates. Umi's chest tightened as she rushed to her best friend's aid, and terrible images flooded her mind. Her breathing quickened as she ran faster, her ears rang. She could just barely hear Clef's hurried footsteps behind her. But sure enough, when she looked over her shoulder, he was right on her heels.

By the time they reached the castle gates, Clef was panting heavily. Umi's eyes scanned the battlefield for any sign of Hikaru. When fiery red hair caught her eye, she raced in that direction. Before she knew it, a soldier was racing in her direction.

"Umi! Watch out!" Clef cried. He darted in front of Umi and jabbed his staff forward. Holding the staff with two hands, spread far apart, Clef held his ground as the soldier's sword came down hard on the body of the staff. Through the pressure of the weapon, the staff did not seem to even flinch.

Umi screamed slightly, but after Clef urged her to race on, she quickly said her thanks and continued. Clef lifted his leg up and gave the soldier a good, hard kick in the stomach with his knee. As the soldier doubled over, Clef gave him a good bash over the head with his staff. The soldier landed face first in the mud and Clef grinned to himself in amusement before following Umi to Hikaru.

Umi raced towards Hikaru and dropped to her knees at her friend's side. Fuu was instantly beside her. Hikaru was clutching her bleeding shoulder and whimpering slightly.

"Hikaru!" Fuu cried. "Are you alright?"

Hikaru nodded slowly. "Y-yeah..." she turned to Umi. "Umi... you're here."

Umi smiled at Hikaru and nodded. Hikaru gradually turned her gaze to the fight in front of her. Umi and Fuu also turned their attention to the battle.

Lantis and Eagle were hurriedly fending off soldiers when Ferio made a beeline in their direction and was immediately fighting by their side. Clef had jumped in and was whacking soldiers left and right with his staff. Ascot came swooping down on his flying beasts and the soldiers were terrified of the beasts' razor-like wings, which were skimming the air dangerously close to their heads. The rain began to pour down harder and harder. The water dripped from their chins, soaked their hair, and ran down the blades of the warriors' swords, mixing with the blood on the blades. Mud covered their armor—their capes would most definitely be ruined. Eagle's wings were covered in grime, their once beautiful radiance soiled by the blood, water, and dirt. The gorgeous white feathers on the wings were frayed, sticking out in all directions possible.

The soldiers—both human and demon—fell, one by one. Eventually, the calls of "Retreat!" met their ears. Human soldiers made a final swing with their sword at their opponents, then raced backwards. Demon soldiers were left looking around, baffled, at the hundreds of soldiers suddenly retreating from battle. Before long, only demon warriors were left on the battlefield.

"They're gone..." Fuu whispered as she and Umi helped Hikaru off the ground.

"They ran away!" Umi yelled triumphantly.

With a loud sigh, Clef dropped to his knees, a look of indescribable relief on his face. Ascot and his beasts landed on the ground, and Ascot jumped from their backs, looking around the battlefield curiously. Ferio twirled his sword—which was quite a sight considering the weapon's size—and whooped victoriously. Lantis rushed to Hikaru's side and Eagle stared at the battlefield breathlessly. He shook his head slowly, and a mumbled whisper escaped his lips.

"Look..."

Everyone raised their heads to see what could easily be over a hundred soldiers lying around them, both human and demon, among the hundreds of living demon soldiers who were looking around with muted expressions.

Clef let out a sorrowful sigh and lifted himself off of the ground and kneeling before the body of a soldier. He set his staff down in the mud beside him and clapped his hands together as if in prayer.

"Oh, brave souls," Clef whispered, just loud enough that his companions could hear. "May you rest in peace."

The group solemnly repeated the gesture. They were all completely silent as the rain began to subside, the grimmest of looks on all of their faces. Umi looked around to discover no one had suffered any major injuries, besides Hikaru's shoulder. Fuu had a couple scrapes on her arms and legs, Hikaru only had one gash on her calf aside from her injured shoulder. Umi only had scraped knees from falling on a pile of pebbles when she had dropped down beside Hikaru. Eagle had a few gashes on his arms, but the sleeves of his shirt were ripped in many more places. Ferio had a narrow gash on his left temple, which sent blood flowing down the side of his face and staining a small portion of his hair a weird shade of brown. His cape and been torn to shreds. Lantis had a cut on his cheek, and numerous cuts on his arms. Clef only had one additional scrape on his hand aside from the gash in his side.

Hikaru sighed in relief. "Is that it? Is the war over?"

Clef shook his head. "Our war is far from over. That was only the first battle."

Umi whimpered. "You mean there's _more_?"

"A war is never only one battle," Lantis pointed out.

Umi groaned and Fuu bit her lip nervously.

"I don't know if I'm up for another battle," Fuu said.

Ferio sighed. "Let's worry about the next battle when the time comes," he said. "For now, I think we should go back inside and get cleaned up before we all catch pneumonia."

Eagle nodded. "That would be wise."

And they all headed back towards the castle.

~*~*~*~*~

Back in the castle, Presea began to pass out towels for them all after they had all been bandaged up. Umi rung out her hair, which left a very large puddle on the floor. Hikaru also rung out her sopping wet braid while Fuu began to dry off her wet blonde curls. Nearby, Clef was vigorously rubbing his head with a towel. When he removed the towel, his lavender hair was sticking out in all directions. It wasn't until Umi began to giggle that he flattened his hair. Lantis and Eagle did the same sort of rub-downs on their hair, but flattened their hair immediately.

"It's good to be on dry ground again, isn't it?" Umi said to Ascot. Ascot, who was wringing out his hat as he desperately tried to detach his bangs from his forehead—as they clung to his forehead like glue—nodded.

"Well," Ferio said playfully in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Nothin' like a good battle to get the blood flowing, eh?"

The occupants of the room laughed hesitantly.

"These next battles should be easy!" Hikaru exclaimed.

Lantis couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her.

"Look!" Hikaru pointed to a window. The sun was just beginning to rise over the cliffs. "The sun's rising! That means the moonless night is over! You guys will all get your magic back! So the battles will be easy!"

The demons in the room exchanged glances.

"I don't think it works that way..." Ferio began.

Clef sighed loudly and everyone turned and looked at him.

"Perhaps it's time I explained the _full_ contents of the Prophecy," he sighed.

Everyone in the room exchanged nervous, fleeting looks and waited anxiously for Clef to explain, every one of them completely unaware of what secrets the mage would reveal next . . .

~*~*~*~*~

^_^ There you go! Yet another chapter! *sigh* Please bear with me, I'm making this up as I go along, and it ain't easy. Thank you, again, people who reviewed! Please review and feel free to post any questions/comments/suggestions or constructive criticism.


	9. The Prophecy

Disclaimer: I don't own Rayearth, nor do I own much of anything...

Yay! Chapter 9! Once again, yay! ^_^ Let's add romance in this chappie, shall we?

~*~*~*~*~

"It has been a long time since I, myself, have laid eyes upon the Prophecy," Clef began. "But, unless my memory deceives me, the Prophecy talks of... maidens, set on saving the demon kind after a change in heart. It tells of saving the demons, and of victory."

"But..." Eagle said. "I thought you said the Prophecy told of the slaughtering of the demon kind."

"That's what is confusing me," Clef's brow wrinkled in thought. "The Prophecy first tells of three maiden saviors who lead the demons to victory. However... the end of the Prophecy tells of the demon kind perishing..."

"How is that possible?" Hikaru asked. "To be victorious, yet parish..."

Clef sighed. "I don't remember the entire thing... something about the moon... fire... a battle..."

"Those three maidens..." Umi interrupted. "Do you think the Prophecy is talking about us?" Umi motioned to herself, Hikaru, and Fuu.

"Perhaps," Clef nodded. "That's another thing that concerns me... the Prophecy, so far has had amazing accuracy. I worry our efforts are futile."

"Tell me about the maidens," Umi demanded.

Clef nodded. "Three maidens, set on saving the demons, fight along side their companions. They lead the demons to victory through their hearts, and save them from darkness..." Clef paused. "That about sums that part up... the words aren't exact but..."

"Can I look at the Prophecy?" Umi asked. "All of it?"

Clef nodded. "Sure..."

"You said you ruined the page in the book, though!" Ferio protested.

Clef grinned. "Never destroy something that might come of use later unless you have a backup copy! Now where did I put that thing, anyway?"

"Backup copy?" Ferio asked through clenched teeth.

Clef nodded and took hold Umi's hand. "Let's go," he said. "I think it's in the library."

Umi nodded and followed him out of the room. Everyone just stared until they were gone.

"Well," Ferio said, then cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should be preparing for the upcoming battle."

Everyone only nodded.

"Well then," he said. "Fuu. You and I shall discuss strategy." he grinned at Fuu. She blushed. "Lantis—you and Hikaru go take care of the swords in the armory. Presea and Eagle, you two go make sure the soldiers are all prepared for battle. And Ascot, you go tend to your monsters. Am I clear?"

Everyone immediately responded with a loud "Yes!" and scurried in their different directions.

~*~*~*~*~

In the library, Umi and Clef were searching for the other copy of the Prophecy. Clef would occasionally knock on the walls, checking for hallow places. 

"Are you sure it's in here?" Umi asked, checking the highest bookshelves.

"Yes," Clef replied in a distracted sort of way while still pounding on the walls.

Clef finally knocked on a section of the wall next to the bookshelf to hear the hollow _thunk_ of an empty space.

"Here," he mumbled as he picked up his staff. Umi looked up from her own search just to see Clef bash his staff into the wall. She scrambled down the ladder on which she stood and rushed to his side.

"Is it there?" she asked as Clef reached into the hole his staff had created and pulled out a thick, and very dusty, book.

"It's here," Clef replied. He propped his staff against the wall and brushed the dust off the book to reveal the title _Ancient Demon Prophecies. _He picked up his staff and led Umi over to a large table at the far end of the room. He dropped the book onto the table dropped to the wooden surface with a loud _BAM_. Clef sat down in a worn leather armchair and opened the book, flipping through pages and skimming the text.

Umi looked over his shoulder at the pages and saw elaborate calligraphy among some passages written in some strange language unknown to her. She turned her attention from the book and began to study Clef's face. His brow was creased in thought and his mouth was drawn into a thin line.

"You know," she said suddenly. "If you don't relax your face a little, you'll get wrinkles!"

Clef looked up from the book and raised an eyebrow at her before shaking his head slightly in bewilderment and returning to the book. His shoulder tightened and his left hand clenched into a tight fist as page after page in the book failed to carry the text he sought.

"Enough! Relax!" Umi said again as she placed her hands on Clef's shoulders and began rubbing them gently. She could hear Clef breathe a tranquil sigh. His body loosened and he swayed forwards and backwards slightly under the pressure of Umi's hands. Umi moved over and sat down on the armrest of the chair, and Clef reached over his shoulder with one hand and fingered her hand gently. Umi immediately stopped massaging his shoulders and curled her fingers around his hand. Clef's thumb stroked the side of her hand tenderly. With his free hand, Clef reached up towards Umi face and touched her jawbone, slowly tilting her head towards him. Umi leaned down and Clef kissed her lips softly. He allowed light blue hair to fall through his fingers. Finally, Clef pulled away and laughed lightly.

"Maybe we should get back to work," he laughed softly.

Umi shrugged. "I got distracted," she pouted innocently.

Clef laughed again and turned back to the book. He flipped through a few more pages and then found the Prophecy. He froze and Umi peeked over his shoulder.

"Clef?" Umi asked. "What's wrong? Did you find it?"

Clef nodded slowly and Umi studied the page. She frowned to see that it was written in a different language.

"It's written in code," Clef said. "It was used among demons hundreds of years ago."

"Can you read it?" Umi asked.

Clef nodded and began to read the Prophecy out loud to Umi. "_On the black night, the red curse shall upon the earth, declaring a never-ending battle. Magic users of great strength shall be robbed of their abilities, humans robbed of their technology, to leave only brute strength for a battle of species to end it all._

"_Three maidens shall arise from the darkness of conflict, hearts swayed in a different direction. Bound by love, they shall lead demons to victory, a species saved—_" Clef froze at the next line: 'However, a sacrifice from a love not returned shall be made.'That line had never appeared in the first copy of the Prophecy he had laid eyes upon. He bit his lip and decided to skip that phrase.

__

"On the night when the moon is full, the Final Battle shall rage, the moon will shine as red as the blood shed by the warriors. As the battle ensues, the moon shall slowly diminish as lives fall. And, when the moon has turned into a ring of fire, blazing in the blackened sky, the demons shall fall, and as the moon is reborn, the demon race shall perish."

Umi could neither speak nor move after Clef finished reading the Prophecy aloud. They sat in silence before Umi spoke. "It isn't possible to be victorious but parish... is it?"

Clef shook his head, a sign that he didn't know the answer any more than she did.

"The moon shall diminish, turn to a ring of fire, and then be reborn..." Umi murmured. "That sounds like an eclipse!"

Clef raised his head and looked at her. "You...you're right!" he said. He suddenly rose from his chair and darted towards a moon chart on the wall. "The next full moon is fourteen days away!"

Clef rushed back to the table and snatched up the book. "Come on!" he called to Umi. "We need to go tell the others!"

And then ran from the library to hastily share their information.

~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, Hikaru and Lantis approached a large door in the lower parts of the castle. Lantis pulled the door open with slight difficulty to reveal a large room, filled with weapons: swords, bows and arrows, axes, rapiers, clubs, crossbows, maces, and even cannons.

"Wow..." Hikaru stood in awe at all of the weapons. She turned her head to see Lantis rummaging through a wooden box in the corner. "Lantis?" she asked. "What are you doing?"

"Getting the rags," Lantis replied as he pulled two white rags from the box. "We have to clean the swords."

Hikaru's grin faltered. "Clean?"

Lantis nodded and tossed her a rag. She caught it easily.

"Get a sword," Lantis instructed as he found a broadsword with a black hilt and sat down on the floor. Hikaru found a sword with a golden hilt and sat on a wooden crate. She watched Lantis as he rubbed carefully at the hilt and then she began to clean her own sword. Lantis was quickly finished and he swung the blade in the air a few times. The blade shone brightly and it hissed as it sliced through the air. Hikaru finished as well just as Lantis began to move on to another sword. Once he finished that one, he fingered the bandage on his cheek, then quickly ripped it off. Hikaru looked up to see that the cut on his cheek was completely gone.

"Y-you're cut... is gone!" Hikaru stammered.

Lantis looked at her and nodded. "We demons heal quickly. It's rather convenient, really."

"Oh," Hikaru said as she gently touched her wounded shoulder. Lantis moved towards her and sat beside her.

"It'll heal," Lantis assured her as he pointed to her shoulder. "At least it's not the arm you carry your sword with."

Hikaru laughed and Lantis smiled a little.

"Oh, look!" Hikaru cried suddenly and pointed to a tiny window near the top of the wall. A little bird was perched at the window, pecking at the glass that blocked the entrance.

Lantis stood and walked towards the window. He opened it slightly and the bird flew in, landing on Lantis's outstretched finger. Lantis smiled tenderly at the bird and walked back towards Hikaru. He sat again and Hikaru reached out to the bird before stroking the back of its head gently with her index finger.

"This bird really seems to like you," Hikaru said to Lantis as the bird chirped merrily at him.

Lantis nodded. "They just show up and I just sit with them. I don't understand why they don't like Eagle instead."

"Perhaps you have a certain allure to you," Hikaru said softly. "Because I like you, too."

Lantis looked up and stared at Hikaru. They slowly leaned forward and kissed, the bird still happily chirping on Lantis's finger. Lantis reached up with his free hand and brushed a few strands of fiery red hair from Hikaru's cheek while Hikaru fingered the place where Lantis's cut had been. When they pulled away, Hikaru looked back at the bird, who had abruptly stopped chirping and was staring at them as if they had grown another head.

Hikaru giggled. "What?" she playfully asked the bird. It squeaked, then flew from Lantis's finger and onto his head. Lantis made an annoyed face and plucked the bird from his hair. It squeaked in protest before flying out the open window.

Hikaru laughed. "I don't think it approved."

Lantis smiled. "Who cares," he said before leaning in and kissing Hikaru again.

~*~*~*~*~

Back in Ferio's room, Fuu and Ferio had sat down on Ferio's bed, and Fuu had begun to give Ferio suggestions on battle formations. Ferio stared at her with a vacant look on his face, having a great deal of difficulty following the conversation.

"So, when the battle begins, we should have the—" Fuu stopped abruptly in mid-sentence when Ferio laughed lightly and shook his head as if in disbelief.

"Ferio!" Fuu scolded. "What are you—!" she was interrupted when Ferio placed two fingers on her lips, silencing her.

"Shh..." he whispered. Fuu blushed as he closed in on her.

"Ferio!" Fuu gasped as he began to kiss her playfully.

"Shh!" Ferio gently hissed again. 

"Ferio, I—thought we—were going—to talk—strategy!" Fuu gasped in between kisses.

Ferio pulled away and shook his head. "Strategy! I was only kidding!"

Fuu made a rather annoyed face. "Do you want to survive this war, or not!"

Ferio pouted. "You're no fun," he teased.

Fuu folded her arms at her chest. "You already have a strategy, don't you?"

Ferio shrugged. "That's Lafarga's job."

Fuu laughed and Ferio laughed with her. The two sat in silence for a while before Fuu spoke. "Ferio?"

Ferio raised his head while he traced the bandage on his temple with a finger. "Hmm?"

"What if this war really does end like the Prophecy says?"

"What do you mean?" Ferio asked.

"What if you all..." Fuu couldn't choke out the word.

"Oh, Fuu..." Ferio whispered and pulled her close to him. He felt hot tears soak through his shirt. "I don't believe one's destiny is decided ahead of time. If we try, I know we'll succeed."

Fuu nodded, her face still buried in Ferio's shirt. "You're right," she murmured. "It was foolish of me to think otherwise."

"No, it wasn't," Ferio assured her. He pulled her from his body and lifted her chin upwards so he could look into her eyes. He leaned closer to her and they kissed. Ferio touched Fuu's cut and bruised arms gently and Fuu ran a finger down his cheek. When they parted, Fuu rested her head on Ferio's chest.

"You don't mind?" Fuu asked suddenly.

"Mind what?" Ferio asked.

"You don't mind that I'm a human?" Fuu asked.

"Mind?" Ferio repeated. "If I minded, I would be racist, wouldn't I?"

Fuu laughed and there was a knock at the door. Ferio called for the person at the door to enter, and Fuu lifted herself from Ferio. Ascot stuck his head inside the door.

"Prince Ferio," Ascot said. "Umi and Master Clef just returned. They said they had an important discovery. They're in the Main Hall."

Ferio nodded. "We'll be right there."

Ascot nodded and left the room. Ferio offered his hand to Fuu after he stood and Fuu took it, standing.

"I suppose we should get going," Fuu said.

Ferio nodded and they headed towards the Main Hall. They walked down the dimly lit hallways until they reached it. They were greeted by everyone: Hikaru, Umi, Clef, Lantis, Ascot, Presea, and Eagle.

Clef stood at the front of the room, a large book in hand and Umi by his side.

"Everyone," Clef addressed the group. "Umi and I have found the Prophecy, and I believe we should all pay close attention to it."

Everyone nodded and Clef began to read the Prophecy from the book, skipping the sacrificial sentence, of course. When he was finished, everyone began to talk among themselves.

"Does this mean we should all train especially for the night of the full moon?" Lantis asked Clef.

"Perhaps," Clef said. "But the full moon is approximately fourteen days from now. When the time comes, we should use the utmost caution."

"I believe the ring of fire foretold is an eclipse," Umi said.

Eagle brought a hand to his chin. "There is an eclipse on that day..." he murmured. "Or so my research says."

"Then I suppose that's settled," Clef said. "We all know that we must be best prepared on the night of the full moon."

Everyone nodded and Hikaru involuntarily let out a yawn. Umi and Fuu couldn't help but yawn as well.

"You three must be tired," Eagle suggested. "I believe there is another room in the west wing. Perhaps you can sleep there?" 

Eagle turned to Ferio and he nodded his approval.

"Thank you!" Hikaru exclaimed sleepily.

"Let me show you to your room," Eagle said as he left the room with the three Demon Slayers.

~*~*~*~*~

In their new bedrooms, there were three beds. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu fell asleep quickly, without so much as removing their armor.

~*~*~*~*~

Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu were awoken in the late evening with a loud banging on their door.

"Hikaru! Umi! Fuu!" Ascot's voice came through the door. "Please! Wake up!"

"Huh?" Hikaru mumbled groggily.

"What's going on?" Umi yawned.

Fuu got up and opened the door. "Ascot!"

"Come on!" Ascot pleaded. "They're here! More soldiers!"

"What?!" Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu were immediately awake.

"How did they rebuild so quickly?" Umi was practically on top of Ascot.

"I-I don't know!" Ascot stammered.

Suddenly, dozens of flaming arrows came flying through the windows. They all screamed and back into the wall before darting from the room.

In the Main Hall, they met up with Lantis, Eagle, Clef, and Ferio.

"Ferio!" Fuu called. "What's going on?"

"There are more human soldiers outside," Ferio's voice was rushed and panicked. Lantis rushed over and shoved the Demon Slayers' swords into their hands.

"We must hurry!" Clef called nervously.

"Right! Let's go!" Hikaru exclaimed as they all rushed into the battle, swords and hearts ready.

~*~*~*~*~

Yatta! That chapter was longer than usual, ne? ^_^ Yay! Well, I'm just going to say that I'm going to be leaving on Wednesday for a few weeks, but I'll be back around August 2. I'll have plenty of time to write while I'm gone, so I'll have something ready to post when I get back! OK, well I'm just gonna do a few responses to Chapter 8's reviews:

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Virginia Choir- Cliffie? Really? I didn't know I was capable at making cliffhangers... O_o;; I'm really not good at that sort of thing...

****

Iarly- If you really wanna know, I got the demon/demon slayer idea from Inuyasha, another anime I love. I was watching Inuyasha one day and kinda just imagined Umi in Sango's demon slayer outfit... and the rest of the plot came from my rather messed-up imagination. (Perhaps I should put a disclaimer for Inuyasha, too... I don't own Inuyasha!!!)

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Everyone else- Thanks everyone for all your nice reviews! You're awesome!

Well, that's about it! I'll be back in a few weeks! Until then! **R&R kudasai!!!!**

~*Yume no Kokoro*~


	10. It's Okay to Cry

Disclaimer: I don't own MKR... 'nuff said...

I'm back and here to stay! ^^ Well, this is chapter 10. There's more U/C moments in this one! Enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~

The sound of metal against metal rang through the night as swords met each other's blades. Over the loud cries of warriors, Umi could hear the screeching of Ascot's monsters. In her ears rang the sound of her pounding heart, which seemed to be lodged in her throat. To her left she could see Ferio energetically slicing through his opponents. One of the soldiers grazed the spot where the gash upon his temple was, and the bandage fell off, revealing woundless skin. She could see the glint in Ferio's eyes as the light reflected off their swords. She looked around to see the number of soldiers was rapidly getting smaller. Umi chose an opponent—a tall, gruff-looking man with raven black hair and bright green eyes. His broad sword clashed against her thin rapier and she was pushed backwards by the force, her heels digging into the soft ground. She lifted her leg and kicked her opponent hard in the stomach, and as he doubled-over, she knocked him unconscious with the hilt of her sword. Umi looked to the other side of the battlefield and saw Clef, but was quickly distracted when another opponent came her way. She quickly blocked him with her sword and had him down in a matter of seconds.

~*~*~*~*~

Clef, on the other side of the field, was desperately trying to fight off his numerous opponents. He knocked many to the ground with his staff, but many more gradually approached.

__

If only I had my magic, Clef thought as he pounded another man's head in with his staff. _Then the_y _would see what true power was._

Clef fended off another soldier, and nailed one in the head as they charged. Then, two soldiers jumped in front of him. Clef was about to lunge forward when a soldier came up from behind him and hit him hard on the back of the head with a club. Clef staggered forward and fell against a rock. His surroundings blurred, and he could see the shapes of the soldiers closing in to finish him off before a larger black shape jumped in. The shapes of the soldiers fell. Clef could hear Umi scream his name from the other side of the field. The larger black shape was beside him, and Clef felt the shape's hands pulling him roughly. He could hear his name being called by what he recognized was Lantis's voice; his head ached. Clef's world swirled around him and everything went black.

~*~*~*~*~

Lantis had immediately rushed to Clef's aid once he saw him fall. He quickly had the offending soldiers down and was trying to wake Clef. He grabbed Clef's shoulders and shook him harshly. Clef's blue eyes were still open, but they were dazed and blank. Lantis whispered his name harshly and Clef's eyes closed as he fell unconscious. Lantis turned as he heard Eagle's footsteps behind him, mixed with Umi's screams.

"Is he all right?" Eagle asked worriedly.

"He's just unconscious," Lantis replied. He looked around at all the soldiers, who had begun to rapidly retreat.

Suddenly, they heard the screams of three women from behind them . . .

~*~*~*~*~

Umi ran towards Clef as she saw him fall and Lantis ran to his aid. She ran past soldiers, but didn't notice a soldier charging towards her. Ascot, who was nearby, saw the soldier, and cried out to Umi as he rushed towards them on his flying beast. Umi heard his cry and quickly stopped, turned, and stood petrified, staring at the soldier as he raced towards her, sword raised. Ascot jumped in front of the attacker, taking the blow of the sword. The sword hit him square in the chest, knocking him from his monster. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu all screamed as Ascot dropped to the ground. Fuu came up from behind and knocked out the soldier as Umi rushed towards Ascot. She heard Hikaru come from behind as she dropped to her knees beside Ascot's body. He had a deep chest wound, his breathing was shallow.

"Ascot!" Umi cried through tears.

Ascot groaned and opened his eyes slightly. "Umi..."

"Ascot!" Umi cried again. "Why? Why did you save me?"

"Because..." Ascot whispered. "I... love you."

Suddenly, Ascot shuddered once, and his body grew limp.

"Ascot..." Umi whispered. "I'm sorry..." Umi softly laid a kiss on Ascot's lips as his breathing stopped. Tears silently streamed down Umi's face and Hikaru comfortingly gave Umi a small hug. Lantis and Eagle came up from behind, and Lantis supported the now conscious Clef with his arm. Clef fingered the back of his head where the rock he had landed on had assaulted him. Shock was written on his face as he stared at Ascot's body. By now, all the soldiers had retreated.

"Umi..." Clef whispered. He moved away from Lantis's support and leaned against his staff as Umi dove into his arms.

"It's my fault!" Umi sobbed as she buried her face in Clef's chest. "It's all my fault! If he hadn't loved me, this never would have happened!"

Clef tried to comfort her. He tried to assure her it wasn't her fault as he stroked her hair.

Umi looked up at Clef's troubled face. His blue eyes were wide as he stared at Ascot. Umi bit her lip.

"It's alright," she whispered as she touched Clef's cheek. "It's okay to cry."

Clef looked at her with sad eyes and he covered his eyes with his hand. Clef never emitted a sound, but he turned his head downward sadly. Umi looked away as a single line of tears emerged from under his hand.

~*~*~*~*~

Later that night, they had had a proper funeral for Ascot. All during the interment, Clef looked particularly angry. Once they were through, Umi pulled him aside.

"Clef?" Umi asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Clef repeated angrily. "My best student is dead, that's what's wrong!"

Umi looked clearly hurt as he said this, and Clef immediately regretted his actions.

"I'm sorry, Umi," he said. "I just—"

"No," Umi interrupted and shook her head sadly. "It must be so difficult for you."

Clef's azure eyes shimmered slightly in compassion and Umi's sapphire eyes seemed to cut through him as she looked at him so sympathetically. Clef averted his gaze in discomfort and focused on a different object on the other side of the room. "It's just not fair."

"I know," Umi whispered as she embraced him tightly and rested her head against his chest.

"Ascot's death..." Clef murmured to himself. "A sacrifice from a love not returned."

"Huh?" Umi looked up at him, confused.

Clef shook his head. "Nothing."

Umi sighed heavily and nestled her face further into Clef's robes. "I'm scared..."

"I know..." Clef whispered as he stroked Umi's hair. She pulled his hand away after a while and looked up into Clef's solemn face. There were dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and his hair was matted and disheveled from the rain and the harsh beatings of intense combat. Umi shuddered at the thought of how her own hair must have looked.

Clef pulled Umi closer and inhaled her scent. They stood in complete silence, quietly enjoying each other's presence. Umi wrapped her arms around Clef and tugged lightly at the back of his robes. She didn't hesitate to let a single tear slide down her cheek. Clef looked down at her sadly and tilted her chin upwards so he could look at her face. He wiped the tear from her cheek with his thumb and cupped her face in his hand.

"Please don't cry..." Clef whispered. "I never meant to make you cry."

Umi closed her eyes briefly and opened them again. Her eyes were glossy with tears. She shook her head slowly. "You know, the deaths of people in wars never to seem like such a big deal until someone you care about loses their own life in one."

Her words seemed to cut through Clef's heart. He pulled her close and she cried into his robes. She only looked up when he whispered her name.

"Umi..."

Umi looked up into his azure eyes and put two fingers to his lips, her signal for him to be silent. She removed her fingers from his mouth and stood on her toes, bringing her mouth to his. To Clef, the kiss tasted salty from Umi's tears, but he didn't mind. He fingered the sapphire studs in Umi's ears and traced her hairline with his index finger. He pulled her away after a while and touched her cheek gently.

"Come on," he whispered. "I want to show you something."

A look of confusion crossed Umi's face, but Clef took her hand and led her towards the balcony. He pulled her towards the railing and stood behind her, placing his hands on her waist. He gently rested his chin on her shoulder and pointed to the sky.

"See, up there?" Clef asked.

Umi looked in the direction he was pointing and laughed lightly. "What?"

"The moon," Clef answered simply. Umi looked towards the moon to see a thin crescent in the dark sky. Umi smiled softly. "The moon..."

"The moon seems to die and start anew every month. If the moon can start again so often, we can get through this war together."

Umi laughed softly and turned to face Clef. "That sounded so cheesy," she laughed. Clef grinned slightly and stifled a laugh. Umi stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "But, thank you." She leaned towards him and kissed him again under the starlit sky. When they pulled away, Umi rested her head against Clef's chest. Clef stroked her hair, then began to hum a soft melody. The song was slow and mysterious—almost eerie—but beautiful. Umi listened for a while before lifting her head.

"What is that?" she asked.

"What is what?" Clef responded gently.

"That song."

"That?" Clef inquired. "That is a song I have known for a very long time." Clef paused. "Why? Do you want me to stop?"

"Oh, no!" Umi shook her head vigorously. "Please don't stop! It's beautiful."

Clef smiled warmly and began the song over again as Umi repositioned her head against his chest. She closed her eyes and listened to Clef's song peacefully. As her consciousness began to wane, she could barely hear Clef singing the words softly . . .

__

c_e_nter_"O, hunters of the night_

Never sleeping, forever watching

Please watch over me

Gaurdians of the Night

Never resting, always listening

Please light my path

Night hunters..."center

~*~*~*~*~

Whew! This chapter took me _so_ long to write... ^^;; Eh... I know I killed off Ascot... Please don't hurt me! T_T I promise that I have a good reason for doing it. It's a necessary part of the plot... Eh, please no flames... T.T Thank you to all of the reviewers! Please review!


	11. Friend or Foe?

Wai~! Chapter 11! About time, isn't it? Anyways, here it is! By the way, this fic might be a little focused on Umi/Clef from now on... they're my favorite couple. But there will still be some H/L & F/F romance!

Enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~

Umi awoke to find herself enclosed in a mountain of off-white bed sheets. She sat upright abruptly and noticed she still had on the clothes she had worn the day before. She glanced around the room and recognized it as Clef's bedroom—as she, Hikaru, and Fuu had barged into it upon their arrival at the castle. Umi glanced to the side to see Clef slouched in an armchair, his head tilted to the side, sleeping soundly. His robes were undone near the collar, revealing his collarbone and chest. She followed the movement of his shoulders with her eyes as they rose and fell with his breathing. Umi smiled to herself, slipped from the bed, and noticed a light blue dress draped over a chair in the corner of the room. She held the dress up and observed the simple, powder blue garment carefully before glancing back to where Clef slept peacefully and slipping the dress on. Much to her surprise, it fit perfectly. She hesitantly glanced at Clef, again. He groaned a little and his head turned and rested on the other side of the chair as his shoulder shifted slightly. Umi giggled to herself.

"Clef's dreaming..." he whispered to herself and smiled. She slowly approached him and leaned over his slumped body. She smiled and knocked lightly on the top of his head. Clef's eyebrows furrowed and his eyes closed even tighter. He made an exasperated little noise that clearly showed he wanted Umi to let him sleep as he turned his head away, which caused lavender hair to fall into his face.

"C'mon!" Umi laughed as she tugged on his arm. "Get up!"

Clef tried to pull his arm away as Umi continued to pull. He finally opened one eye and stared at Umi.

Umi grinned. "Good, you're awake."

Clef looked slightly annoyed, but pulled his arm away from Umi's grasp and stood up. He yawned and stretched his arms before putting his hand to the back of his head.

"Boy, do I have a headache," he muttered.

"That's what you get for sleeping with that thing on your head," Umi lifted one finger and brought it to the large gem in the center of Clef's headdress. Clef followed her finger up to his forehead with his eyes and cocked a small smile.

"I guess I forgot to take it off," he shrugged and he reached up to the headdress through his mass of bangs. There was a small shuffling noise and he slid the headdress off. His bangs tumbled down into his face. He pushed his hair away from his eyes and grinned playfully. Umi smiled back and giggled as Clef's hair fell back into his face. She gently tucked the stray hair behind his ears and playfully kissed him on the cheek before dragging his towards the balcony. She stood with her back to him and looked towards the horizon to see the sun rising over the cliffs. Clef approached from behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. The warm colors of the sunset, brilliant oranges and warm pinks, danced across their faces. Umi let out a soft sigh in awe and they watched the sunrise send an array of warm colors onto the shining marble of the walls and floor.

"Clef-chan?" Umi asked after a while.

"Hmm...?" Clef murmured in reply.

"Do you love me?" she asked quietly.

Clef showed no signs of hesitation. "Yes, more than anything," he whispered into her ear. "I would die for you."

At the word "die", Umi froze. She lifted a hand to Clef's cheek. "No... don't say that. Not now."

Clef's expression fell slightly, but he held Umi tighter as the wind began to pick up. Suddenly, they heard a bell ring from the ground floor of the castle. Umi's head shot up and she turned to Clef worriedly.

"What was that?" she asked.

Clef laughed lightly. "That's the bell for breakfast. Are you hungry?"

Umi turned towards Clef and breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm _starving._"

Clef laughed and Umi turned and headed off the balcony. As she passes Clef, she smirked and flicked the open collar of his robes. Clef immediately did up the front of his shirt and they headed down to breakfast together.

~*~*~*~*~

An uncomfortable silence hung over the occupants of the castle as they ate their breakfast that morning—which mainly consisted of meat, seeing as most of the castle's inhabitants were wolf demons. No one talked, but exchanged hesitant glances at each other and around the room, as if half-expecting an enemy to jump out from behind one of the pillars. 

Ferio sat at the front of the table, with Fuu at the left hand side of the table and Clef at the right. Umi sat by Clef, and beside her sat Presea. Across from Ferio, at the other side of the table, sat Eagle. Fuu sat beside Hikaru, who had Lantis at her side.

Umi sat and ate her food heartily, enjoying every bite while carefully observing the people around her. She saw Ferio constantly putting his hand over hers, while Hikaru and Lantis persistently stole glances at each other. Umi smiled to herself and began to finger Clef's hand under the table. She giggled inwardly as she saw a small blush creep across Clef's cheeks. Ferio seemed to notice the suddenly flushed appearance of Clef's face and he grinned slightly.

The maids bustled about, serving tea to anyone who would drink in and constantly informing Ferio and Clef on the condition of the remaining soldiers in their army. Hikaru had to assure a waitress numerous times that she did not need anymore smoked sausage before the waitress finally left her alone. All three demon slayers cleaned their plates, and gladly helped themselves to seconds, while the others picked at the leftover food on their plates, contemplating whether to finish it or not. Clef sipped at his tea and looked over the rim of the cup, watching as Ferio gulped down his own green tea to wash down all the bacon he had consumed. Clef smiled lightly to himself as he set his cup back down on the table.

Suddenly, a particularly flustered-looking servant rushed through the large doors to the dining room and made a direct beeline towards Ferio. She leaned down and whispered urgently into his ear. Ferio's catlike eyes widened and he stood immediately, walking in quick strides towards the castle gates. Everyone in the room exchanged confused glances, and Clef bolted up and strode after Ferio, closely followed by everyone else.

They finally caught up to the demon prince near the castle gates, and Fuu ran towards Ferio worriedly.

"Ferio?" she asked, slightly short of breath. "What's going on?"

Umi and Hikaru rushed forward, towards Fuu, and Ferio swung open the gates, revealing a rather beat-up looking human soldier with dark, auburn hair and deep gray eyes. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu all withdrew their breath sharply and took a few quick steps towards the soldier. The soldier staggered towards them, swaying as he went.

"Please... help..." he gasped, then collapsed into Hikaru's arms. Hikaru sunk towards the ground under the man's weight, and Lantis lifted the man from Hikaru's arms. Lantis glared at the unconscious soldier in his arms.

"What should we do?" Hikaru asked.

"Toss him back out there, the filthy bastard," Ferio spat.

"No," Fuu shook her head. "The next village is miles from here. With those injuries, if we leave him out there, he'll die."

Ferio sighed, and looked to his demon comrades for advice, of which he received none. "Fine. But I'll only allow him to stay until his wounds heal."

Fuu smiled. "You're a good person—er... demon, Ferio."

Ferio laughed, and they carried the soldier to an empty room.

~*~*~*~*~

Slightly over a week later, the soldier awoke. He tried to open his eyes, but shut them again as candlelight poured into his eyes.

"Look!" a voice said. "He's awake!"

The soldier opened his eyes again to see three figures standing over him. He let his eyes adjust to the dim light, and recognized the three Slayers standing over him. He groaned slightly and sat up in the bed. He looked around and could tell in was past nightfall.

"You're... the traitor demon slayers..." he murmured.

Umi began to glare at the man, but Hikaru laid a calming hand on her shoulder. Umi turned to Hikaru with a questioning look and Hikaru shook her head.

Fuu kneeled by the man's bed. "Tell us, what is your name?"

"A-Akudoi," the man replied.

Fuu nodded. "I am Fuu, and these two are Hikaru and Umi."

Hikaru smiled and waved her hand in a sort of greeting. Umi managed to smile slightly. Suddenly, Fuu stood and walked to the door, ushering Ferio and Clef inside. Ferio looked skeptical of the man, and Clef wore a rather indifferent expression. Akudoi's eyes seem to light up when he saw Ferio, but then his expression fell.

"You are...the demon Prince!" Akudoi exclaimed.

Ferio expression remained the same. "I will allow you inside my castle only until your injuries heal. When that time comes, you are to leave immediately, or face the penalty of death."

Fuu thought Ferio's demands came out a little harsh, but Akudoi nodded and Ferio stepped aside to let the women tend to his wounds. Once they were finished, Fuu ordered Akudoi to rest, and she, Umi, Hikaru, Ferio, and Clef, left the room. Ferio shot an icy glare at Akudoi before he left, and after the door had shut, Akudoi responded with a sly smirk, and pulled a dagger from under his tunic. He fingered the blade and grinned venomously before replacing the weapon and enjoying the soft bed.

~*~*~*~*~

As Ferio shut the door to Akudoi's room, he clenched his teeth and a low growl emitted his throat. After the three Demon Slayers left, Clef turned to him curiously.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't trust him," Ferio growled.

Clef raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why is that?"

Suddenly, the warning cry of a wolf echoed through the night. Clef, looking rather surprised, bolted his head towards the window and Ferio calmly followed his gaze. The howling slowly stopped, and Clef looked at Ferio with a shocked expression.

"That's why," Ferio muttered as he began to walk down the hallway, towards his room.

~*~*~*~*~

It was the night before that of the full moon, and Clef was becoming rather apprehensive. They had not been attacked by human soldiers for nearly two weeks, and the nights had been unusually quiet. Akudoi was nearly fully recovered from his injuries, and, over the past week, had gained the trust of almost everyone in the castle—_almost_ everyone. He had cooked meals sometimes, for what he called "showing his thanks". He had brought news of Hikaru's brothers to her, and showed Umi sword tricks. He helped the maids with their work, and did all of their work now and then. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu had even convinced him to not fear demons. It seemed all too easy to Clef—far too easy.

That night they were all eating dinner in peace. Once again, dinner was an abundance of meat. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu talked with Akudoi about "human matters", while the other demons watched closely and ate their food at the same time.

"Prince Ferio?" Akudoi asked after a long silence. Ferio looked up from his plate and stared at Akudoi. "May I speak with you for a moment, privately?"

Ferio glanced at Clef, but his brow was furrowed in thought. He was obviously trying to guess why Akudoi would suddenly need to talk to the Prince of Demons in privacy.

Ferio nodded and stood with Akudoi, following the man to an empty room. Clef stood and followed once the door closed, and crouched by it, his ear to the door. Hikaru, Umi, Fuu, and Lantis followed and stood behind the mage.

"Clef?" Umi asked. "What are you doing?"

"I don't trust him," Clef responded.

"Akudoi?" Hikaru asked. "But he's a good person!"

Clef seemed to snarl at that comment, but he stayed silent so he could listen to Ferio's conversation. He heard muffled voices, but could not make out any of the words. Suddenly, he heard a loud cry, and Clef quickly stood. He could hear the Demon Slayers gasp and Lantis advance towards the door. Clef tried to open the door, but it was locked tight. Lantis muttered a random curse under his breath a knocked down the door. Fuu screamed as the door crashed to the ground, revealing the room's occupants, and they were all shocked by what they saw:

Akudoi held Ferio in a tight headlock. Ferio's amber eyes were wide with both panic and shock, and Akudoi held a dagger to the Prince's throat.

"If you traitorous Demon Slayers won't kill the Prince of Demons, I will!"

~*~*~*~*~

Well, there's Chapter 11!! I'm gonna try to wrap up the story soon, so expect about 2 or 3 more chapters. ^_^

To most (if not all) of the reviewers: I'm sorry if I disappointed you by killing Ascot. The prophecy was written quite a while ago, before the story was written, and, wanting to stick with it, I had to kill off Ascot since he was the only one fitting the description of the sacrifice. Gomen nasai!

Thank you to everyone who reviewed Chapter 10! ^_^ Look out for Chapter 12! Review, kudasai!

Authors note (Please READ!): Chapter might be slower than usual getting up now, since school starts up again in about 5 days. Please be patient as I try to juggle any remaining chapters of this fic and school work! Thank you!


	12. The Fall of a Fiend, the Return of Magic

Oops, I forgot to put a disclaimer on that last chapter... ^^;; hehe...

Disclaimer: Unless CLAMP would be willing to sell me the rights to MKR for... *counts her money* $50... I don't, and never will, own Rayearth...

Chapter 12 didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would to finish.... Oh, well. ^_^ Enjoy, everyone!

~*~*~*~*~

"If you traitorous Demon Slayers won't kill the Prince of Demons, I will!"

"Akudoi... you...?" Hikaru stuttered.

Akudoi grinned maliciously. "Did you actually think that I wanted to befriend you? I was sent by the people to eliminate the Prince of Demons."

Fuu stood, obviously disturbed by the recent turn of events. Her green eyes locked with the pleading golden ones of Ferio. His eyes begged her to help him, and she cried out to him and ran forward.

"Don't you dare!" Akudoi hissed. He pushed the dagger closer to Ferio's neck, and a drop of blood ran down the blade. "One more step, and I'll slit his throat!"

Fuu stopped in her tracks and staggered backwards. Clef took a few steps forward and stood in a battle stance, aiming his staff at Akudoi.

"Release him!" Clef yelled while threateningly holding out his staff.

Akudoi laughed and shook his head. "You can't fool me, mage. I know your magic is of no use."

Clef clenched his teeth tightly and cursed under his breath. Fuu glanced towards Umi, and Umi stared back at her. They seemed to establish a plan, and Umi nodded discreetly.

"I guess the tables have turned, Prince!" Akudoi hissed as he grabbed Ferio's hair and yanked his head backwards. Ferio winced as Akudoi pulled numerous hairs from his scalp. "It looks like I'm not the one who is going to die in this castle!"

"You tricked us!" Umi snarled. "Bastard!!" Umi took a few hurried steps towards Akudoi, and Fuu ran into her, knocking her into the wall right behind Akudoi.

"No!" Fuu screamed. "Stop!"

Everyone stared at Fuu, obviously confused. Lantis took a few steps forward, but Hikaru gently stopped him. Tears glistened in Fuu's eyes, and Umi began to edge towards the area directly behind Akudoi. Akudoi laughed coldly and edged the dagger closer to Ferio's throat.

"It looks like this is the end, dear Prince," he laughed while the people around him stood petrified. "Say good-bye!"

"Good-bye!!" Umi screamed from behind him. She jumped up and jammed her elbow against the back of Akudoi's head, and he staggered forward. He pulled Ferio downward by his hair, and Ferio darted away from his grip, leaving many strands of forest green hair in Akudoi's fist. Ferio ran to Fuu, who hugged him tightly. Akudoi swung around towards Umi, who had no where to go. A vein pulsed in Akudoi's temple, his face was beginning to color with rage.

"You bitch!" he yelled.

As Akudoi raised his dagger, all the color in Clef's face drained. Time seemed to stop, he didn't know what to do. Clef raised his staff out of instinct, and as he heard Umi scream, he willed all the power inside of him to be released. Energy gathered at his staff, and sparks danced across the wooden surface. A lightning bolt shot at Akudoi's hand, and he yelped loudly. He clutched his hand and the dagger flew from his grip. Clef dropped his staff from exhaustion. His azure eyes were still wide, and he collapsed to his knees, then fell to the floor, unconscious. Umi screamed and ran towards him, and she held him in her arms. She sobbed as she shook him, and suddenly, she noticed his claws had returned. She moved his hair away from his ears and saw they were, once again, pointed, and a tail was emerging from under his robes. Umi gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, shocked, then turned her attention towards Akudoi.

The dagger had fallen at Lantis's feet, and he picked it up, pointing it a Akudoi.

"It's over," Lantis said icily. Akudoi trembled, now fearing demons more than ever. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ferio walk over to Umi and lift Clef from her arms. He lifted Clef onto his back, and stood.

"You should probably leave now," Lantis addressed his comrades. "I'll finish the job."

Umi nodded and followed Ferio, Hikaru, and Fuu out of the room. Once the door was closed, she heard Akudoi cry out, then there was silence. Umi grimaced, and Lantis emerged from the room. He turned his head downwards, and Hikaru touched his arm comfortingly. He smiled slightly, and they turned, carrying Clef to an empty room to rest.

~*~*~*~*~

Ferio rubbed his neck, tracing the narrow gash on his throat where the dagger had cut him. Fuu leaned against him, burying her face into his shirt. He touched her arm gently before kissing the top of her head, and Fuu laid her hand on top of his.

"I don't think I've ever been so frightened," she whispered.

"I know..." he whispered back. Fuu lifted her head and rested it on his shoulder. Ferio kissed her forehead and they looked over to where Umi sat by Clef's bedside. Her hands were folded, as if in prayer, and she held them close to her face. Tears were in her eyes and she stared, transfixed, at Clef's peaceful face.

Hikaru, too, was watching Umi intently. She bit her lip worriedly and placed a hand on Umi's shoulder.

"Umi-chan..." Hikaru said softly. "It's alright, relax. Clef's going to be fine."

Umi shook her head. "I'm not going to relax. I can't... not after what happened to Ascot. I won't leave his side."

Hikaru sighed and shook her head sadly before returning to Lantis. She leaned against 

him and he wrapped his arm around her.

"He is going to be alright, isn't he?" Hikaru asked.

"Of course," Lantis replied. "He's merely unconscious. The only thing that made him collapse was fatigue."

"Fatigue?"

"It obviously took a lot of his energy to use that spell," Lantis said. "It seems his magic has returned to him."

"How?" Hikaru asked. "The curse—!"

"The curse covered up our magic, I believe," said Lantis. "Maybe Clef's will to protect Umi brought his powers back to him. Therefore, his demon traits returned." Lantis cocked a small smile. "Maybe my magic shall return as well."

Hikaru smiled. "I hope so."

~*~*~*~*~

Umi brushed a strand of hair away from Clef's face gently. Her lip trembled and she bit down on it hard. She knew in her heart that he was fine, but her brain told her never to leave him. She briefly glanced out the window—the sun was in the midst of rising over the mountains. Umi withdrew, then let out, and deep breath and placed her hand on top of Clef's, wrapping her fingers around his. Suddenly, Clef's fingers closed around hers, gripping her hand lightly. Umi gasped slightly, then a small smile spread across her face.

Suddenly, Clef groaned softly and his eyes flickered open. Umi sat upright and she beamed down at him, tears still glistening in her eyes.

"Ungh..." Clef groaned as he sat up, a hand to his forehead. "What happened?"

Umi smiled and lifted his hand to her cheek. She held his hand to her face and cradled it gently. "You saved me, Clef. Akudoi... it was all a set up. He was sent to trick us."

Clef's azure eyes widened slightly. "Akudoi...?" By now, everyone was staring at him. 

"Where is..."

"He's dead," said Lantis. Clef turned and looked at him before turning his attention to his hand at Umi's cheek. Azure eyes, once again, grew wide. He stared at his free hand, then put his hand to his ear, then, while only dropping his jaw slightly, he put a finger lightly to his canine teeth.

"Impossible..." he murmured.

"Your magic saved me," Umi said. Clef stared at her and lifted himself from the bed. 

He grabbed his staff and waved his hand slightly, and a trail of purple and blue sparks followed the movement of his hand. He grinned.

"So it's true..." he whispered.

Umi dove into his arms, crying happily. Clef looked taken aback as her weight was suddenly thrown against him, but his expression relaxed as she held him tightly, and 

he returned her firm embrace. He rested his hand on the back of the hand and whispered to her softly in an attempt to calm her. Hikaru and Fuu smiled at the couple and they exchanged glances.

Suddenly, Clef's head rose suddenly and he addressed Ferio sharply.

"Are the soldiers ready?" he asked. Umi lifted her head and stared up at Clef's stern face.

Ferio nodded. "Presea and Eagle have informed me that they are well prepared."

Clef let out a relieved sigh and looked over his shoulder, at the window. The rising sun cast brilliant colors across the sky.

"We have roughly 12 hours until nightfall," he said. "Then..." his voice trailed off.

"The Final Battle," Lantis said grimly, finishing the mage's sentence.

Clef turned towards Lantis and nodded. "We all need to be prepared for tonight. I think we should all make sure our armor and weapons are in top condition."

They all nodded.

"Let's go," Ferio said suddenly. "Everyone, go get your weapons and armor ready. Train a little if possible. We need to make sure a tragedy like Ascot's does not happen again."

Umi's head turned downward, and Clef placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Let's go," Hikaru said confidently.

"Right!" Everyone chorused, then they all headed their separate directions.

~*~*~*~*~

Hikaru dropped to her knees, panting hard. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, and fingered the jewels on her new armor. She, Umi, and Fuu had all received new armor. Hers was a brilliant ruby red, with blood red jewels decorating the breastplate. Gold lined the edges, and the light bounced from the jewels, making them sparkle magnificently.

Hikaru grasped her sword and stood, returning to her training. She stood in a stance for a moment before letting out a battle cry and moving through a series of complicated footwork. She slashed her sword at an invisible opponent, then paused when she passed the window. The sky was growing dark, and the moon was rising in the sky, glowing a bright crimson. Hikaru bit her lip and glanced at her sword, sighing.

Suddenly, she heard shouts coming from down the hall. She walked to the door and swung it open. She could hear Presea shouting calls of, "Get your weapons!", or "They're here! Everyone to the main gates!"

Hikaru gasped and raced from the room, sword in hand. The ran up to the second floor, and burst into the room in which Lantis, Clef, Umi, Fuu, and Ferio, were. Clef, Umi, and Lantis stood by one window, Fuu and Ferio by the other.

"Lantis!" Hikaru cried as she raced towards him. He didn't respond, only kept his attention firmly on the window, or rather, what was outside the window.

"Lantis!" Hikaru cried again as she came up to the window. "The—" Hikaru gasped as she saw what was outside the windows. Hundreds of human soldiers crowded outside, equipped with torches, spears, and swords. They hollered angrily at the castle, shouting nasty curses and atrocious comments.

"Let's go," a voice said from the doorway. Hikaru spun around to see Eagle by the door, looking far more serious than usual. Lantis, Clef, and Ferio nodded firmly and followed Eagle from the door. Hikaru stuck by Umi and Fuu as they ran into the cursed 

war.

As they ran through the castle gates after the other soldiers, Hikaru whispered a silent prayer:

"Please," she whispered. _"Don't let them die."_

~*~*~*~*~

OK, how about some review responses, eh?

inu87yasha: ^______^ I'm glad you like the drawing I sent you!!

Virginia Choir: Hehe... I actually knew it was a cliffy this time! LOL ^^;;

shazzam: He got his rear kicked all right! ^_^

hyper*italian*gurl: Hehehe... Hope you liked Chapter 12!

Momentum: I updated! LOL Hope you liked it!

Sab - Clef Lover: -^_______^- Thanks so much! What a complement!! *^.^*

OK, well... I've decided there'll be about two more chapters to this fic... then that's the end. I don't know how long Chapter 13 will take me... so be patient, people! ^^ I think that's all I have to say... I know I have to be forgetting _something..._ Oh, well. ^_^ OK, keep your eyes open for Ch. 13!! **PLEASE REVIEW!!!**


	13. The Final Battle and the Prophesized Ecl...

Disclaimer: I don't own MKR. Plain and simple.

Well, here it is! *stares* Short... I know. ^^;; Well, enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~

__

As they ran through the castle gates after the other soldiers, Hikaru glanced at the demons in front of her, whom she had befriended. While they ran into battle, Hikaru whispered a silent prayer:

"Please," she whispered. "Don't let them die."

~*~*~*~*~

The crimson moonlight shone on their faces as they ran into battle. The sky was as black as Lantis's hair, and the red light that shone down upon them only made Hikaru's ruby eyes blaze brighter. The torches of the human soldiers were throne to the ground, the grass catching the flames were lit ablaze. Fire blazed around them as the battle ensued, reflecting from swords and arrows.

Umi slashed through her opponents, swinging her sword at anyone who dared to oppose her. Her sapphire eyes were fierce, and she was set in deep concentration, thinking only of victory. All the while, a foreboding feeling sat in the pit of her stomach, increasing as the moon began to slowly become eclipsed.

~*~*~*~*~

Clef was also keeping his eye on the moon while fighting. He stood adjacent three human soldiers, a held his staff out threateningly. The soldier laughed bitterly.

"What are you doing to do with that, huh?" one soldier mocked.

"Stupid demon scum!" laughed another.

"We know the demon's magic is gone!" snickered the third.

Clef glared venomously at the soldiers and a smirk crossed his lips. He pointed his staff at the soldiers and the froze indecisively.

"Lightning Strike!" Clef yelled. Light gathered at Clef's staff, and the energy blasted towards the soldiers. They stood, frozen, as the lightning struck them. The screamed loudly, and fell to the ground as the light cleared. Clef glared at their groaning heap and took on a more challenging opponent. Suddenly, a soldier charged at him from behind. Clef senses the attacker, and spun around, meeting the soldier's sword with his staff. Clef gritted his teeth as the soldier edged his sword closer to Clef's face. The blade cut his cheek, and Clef pulled his face away from the sword's blade as blood began to stream down his cheek. Clef staggered backwards and aimed his staff at the soldier as the man charged towards him. He fired another lightning bolt at the man, and as the soldier fell, the blade of his sword cut into Clef's arm slightly. Clef winced and turned to take on another opponent. 

~*~*~*~*~

Ferio sliced through opponents with ease. He grinned maliciously, occasionally scaring a soldier by showing off white fangs. Blood from a gash on his forehead ran down his face and over his eye, which he kept shut. His forest green hair was disheveled and messy, and his golden eyes were keen and sharp. He easily disarmed soldiers with his enormous sword. All the while, he kept a close eye of the moon. Suddenly, a soldier crossed swords with him. Ferio was caught slightly off guard, and the soldier was pushing him backwards with the force of his sword. The soldier grinned and Ferio's amber eyes grew wide. The soldier pulled a club from under his armor, and jabbed Ferio in the stomach with it. Ferio cried out and doubled over, but then, he heard a loud cry, and his opponent fell to the ground. He looked up to see Fuu standing over him.

"Are you all right?" she asked worriedly while holding out her hand.

Ferio nodded and took her hand, lifting himself off the ground. Fuu smiled at him softly and he smiled back. Then, they turned to fight together.

~*~*~*~*~

Hikaru locked swords with a soldier, and her teeth clenched. Her ruby eyes glowed bright in the night, and they looked fierce to anyone who dared to get in her way. The red hair was beginning to become loose from its tight braid, and the stray parts of her flowed around her. Hikaru held her ground as the soldier tried to push her down. Sparks flew from their swords. Hikaru grinned—she liked fire. She welcomed the heat of the flames and the warmth caressed her face. Beads of sweat built on her forehead as the battles became more intense.

The battlefield was slowly becoming darker. Hikaru glanced at the moon. It was getting close to full eclipse. Hikaru turned her attention back to her opponent and knocked him down quickly. She narrowed her eyes at him coldly. She was not going to let _anything_ get in her way. Anything.

Hikaru looked around for Lantis, and spotted him a few yards away. Fighting heroically. She smiled at him, and she caught his eye. Lantis smiled back at her, and they both continued fighting.

~*~*~*~*~

Umi had just downed an opponent, when the sky went black. She gasped, and looked towards the sky to see that the moon was in full eclipse. Umi's eyes widened and she stood petrified. Everything around her was silent. Everyone had stopped fighting to see the moon become a ring of fire in the sky.

However, as the moon began to slowly become unveiled, every demon around her suddenly fell to the ground. All the human soldiers began to back away, disgusted and afraid. Umi heard Hikaru and Fuu scream, and she spun around. There, she saw all of the demons who were close to her: Clef, Ferio, Lantis, Eagle, and Presea. Her lip trembled and she stood petrified.

All of the demons dropped to their knees, their eyes were wide and blank. They fell to the ground limply, and, as the light of the moon began to shine on them, their bodies, as well as all the demon's around them, began to glow.

And Umi's scream pierced the night.

~*~*~*~*~

Well, there it is! Only one more chapter to go! *stares at Chapter 13 and sighs* Yes, yes... I know. This chapter was pathetically short... *sigh* Sorry! ^^;; I promise the next one will be longer! Thank you to all of those who reviewed! And to all of you who read it, but didn't review! ^^ Chapter 14 should be up soon! See you then for the finale!! **PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	14. Night Hunters

Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own Rayearth... or the song I'm going to use in this chapter. Nor do I own V6, the WONDERFUL group that did the song that I am using. I do, however, own the little song/poem thing at the end of this chapter.

Wow... I can't believe it's the final chapter already... *sniff* Well, here it is. I'm going to use the song "Jiyuu de Aru Tame ni" or, translated, "For the Sake of Freedom", by **V6**, in this chapter. I LOVE this song!! Here's how the lyrics'll go:

**__**

**italics** = Original Japanese lyrics

**__**

[italics] = Translated lyrics

Believe it or not, I'm actually listening to this song as I write this. ^^ OK, well, on to the chapter... finally!

~*~*~*~*~

All of the demons dropped to their knees, their eyes were wide and blank. They fell to the ground limply, and, as the light of the moon began to shine on them, their bodies, as well as all the demon's around them, began to glow.

And Umi's scream pierced the night.

~*~*~*~*~

**__**

**Do you... do you wanna be Freedom?**

All of the demons were lifted into the air by an invisible force. Their eyes were closed and their heads hung limply. Their bodies glowed brighter, and their hair seemed to turn a dozen shades lighter as all the blood and dirt disappeared from their bodies and clothes. 

Umi kept her eyes on Clef. Around her, human soldiers were beginning to run off in fright. Nearby, Hikaru dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face. Her ruby eyes glistened with salty tears.

"LANTIS!!!" she screamed, her terrified cry choked with sobs.

Fuu also had tears in her eyes, and she covered all of her face, except for her eyes, with her hands. "Ferio...!" 

**__**

**Dareka wo yonderu Call yozora ni hibiku** [My call to somebody echoes in the night sky]

**Hitori ja nai to itte hoshii dake de** [I just want to be told that I'm not alone]

Suddenly, wings sprouted from the demons' backs. The force pushed their bodies forward, and their hair flew around them. Umi watched as Clef's lavender hair was tossed into his face. Eagle's wings turned a from a cream colored hue to a pure white, almost iridescent, shade. As more moonlight poured onto them, their wings sparkled brilliantly.

Umi's heart seemed to scream. Questions of confusion poured into her mind and she became engulfed in fear.

**__**

**Ima sugu aitai no wa tenshi ja nai** [It's not an angel that I want to be with soon]

**Onaji kodoku wo shiru Somebody** [But somebody who knows the same loneliness]

__

What in hell is going on?! her mind screamed. Umi's entire body trembled.

Then, the wings on the demons' backs engulfed them. The wings wrapped around their bodies, and the masses grew smaller. Light seemed to emerge from the feathers. When the wings parted, the demons were curled into balls, their knees to their chests and their arms wrapped around their legs. Clef's staff was firmly in his hands. As they slowly returned to a normal position, their eyes remained shut, and the wings unraveled around them, sending thousands of feathers falling delicately to the ground.

**__**

**Do you... do you wanna be Freedom?**

The three Demon Slayers gasped as they stared at the demons. Pointed ears, tails, claws, and Eagle's wings—none of them were in sight!

Slowly, they ascended to the ground. The unnatural brightness of the full moon began to fade, until it was just a ordinary full moon in the sky. As they were gently laid on the ground, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu raced towards them.

**__**

**Donna aishita mo osorezu ni** [Without being afraid of tomorrow]

Umi's chest tightened as she ran towards Clef. The last line of the Prophecy rung over and over in her mind, and as raced towards him, she prayed that once she reached him, his heart would still be beating strongly in his chest. Light blue hair trailed behind her, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Hikaru and Fuu running with her, as well. A stream of tears ran from her eyes, shimmering in the moonlight. Apprehensive fear shone behind watery sapphire eyes.

** __**

**Kizutsuku bakari no Lonely Heart** [A lonely heart that's only been wounded]

**Buchikowaseba ii** [It's alright if you break it down]

When Umi reached Clef, she dropped to her knees beside him. She pulled his body into her arms and shook him gently. Tears streamed down her face as she called out his name, again and again.

** __**

**Do you... do you know your true Tenderness?**

"Please..." Umi pleaded through sobs. "Please, wake up! Clef, wake up!"

**__**

**Sore wa dare nimo nite inai** [That is unlike anyone else's]

When no response was received, Umi broke down in tears and brought Clef's head to hers, burying her face in his chest. Suddenly, she felt soft breathing against her ear. She lifted herself up, joyously relieved, and reached under the first layer of Clef's robes, pressing her hand against his chest. More tears fell from her eyes and a small smile spread across her face as she felt his heart pounding strongly.

**__**

**Kimi ga kimi de iru tame ni** [Tell me what it is that you're looking for]

**Sagasu mono wo oshiete** [So that you can be yourself]

"Thank God..." she whispered.

Suddenly, she heard Fuu's ecstatic cry. She looked up to see Fuu fling her arms around Ferio's neck as he regained consciousness, and he wearily returned her embrace. She glanced to where Hikaru knelt by Lantis, and saw her smiling happily, tears glistening on her cheeks. Lantis's hand was against her cheek, and she held his hand happily with his head in her lap as Lantis smiled gently up at her.

** __**

**Game wo kitta MONITAA tsumetai Real** [The monitor after I turn off the game holds a cold reality]

**Te ni ireta nowa subete Imitation** [Everything I've ever gained is all an imitation]

**Nanika ga tarinainda to mune ga sakebu** [My heart screams out that something's missing]

**Fui ni jibun wa tada Nobody** [Suddenly, I'm just an ordinary nobody]

Umi glanced back at Clef's peaceful face. She bit her lip and stroked his hair gently. Suddenly, Clef stirred and his eyes flickered open. He groaned slightly as he slowly came back to consciousness, but he smiled wearily when he saw Umi's face staring down at him worriedly. Clef's azure eyes were reflected in Umi's teary sapphire eyes.

** __**

**Do you... do you wanna be Freedom?**

"Umi..." Clef whispered.

Umi let out a relieved sigh. "I'm so glad you're alive."

Clef's eyes temporarily lost their shine. "But... how?"

Umi shook her head. "I don't know."

** __**

**Donna mirai wo odoritai?** [How bad do you want to dance in the future?]

**Utsumuku dake dewa Broken Heart** [Just looking down results in a broken heart]

**Kirinukerarenai** [That you can't break free of]

Clef lifted his hand and waved it in the air. He positioned it in the air, palm upward, and a small flame danced above his palm.

"I still have my magic," he whispered.

Umi smiled. "I'm glad."

Clef smiled back at her and sat upright. Umi helped him to his feet, and Clef leaned against his staff. He looked around, and saw that Lantis and Ferio were also standing. Both men approached him, smiling.

**__**

**Do you... do you know your true Tenderness?**

"We survived," Lantis said, a small hint of relief in his voice.

"And it's a damn good thing, too!" Ferio added.

Clef smiled at them both. "I suppose life will be getting back to normal for us, then?"

"Except for the fact that we're human now..." Ferio pointed out as he scratched the back of his head.

Clef paused to look at his hands, inspecting for any sign of claws. He sighed. He was human. _Again._

**__**

**Sore wa tashika ni kanau koto** [That's certainly something that will come true]

"I think it's permanent this time," Clef said.

They all nodded and looked around the battlefield. All of the human soldiers had retreated, and the battlefield was full of confused, once-were demons, who were inspecting each other for tails.

Hikaru laughed. "I think it's time we all had a break! I'm exhausted!"

Umi and Fuu nodded in agreement.

"Then it's agreed," Clef smiled. "Back to the castle, then?"

They all nodded happily before happily retreating to the castle.

**__**

**Yume wo kuchi ni suru mae ni** [Before you tell me your dreams]

**Dekiru nanika shiritai** [I want to know what I can do]

~*~*~*~*~

Back in the castle, Ferio and Fuu sat, alone, in Ferio's bedroom quarters, once again. Fuu leaned against Ferio, her head laying against his chest. Ferio stroked her golden hair and stared down at her, a small smile on his face.

"I can't believe you're here..." Fuu whispered. "I thought..." Fuu sighed and shook her head as she lifted her weight off of Ferio.

**__**

**Do you... do you wanna be Freedom?**

Ferio eyes grew soft. "I guess we've experienced a miracle," he smiled.

Fuu smiled as well. "I suppose so! But, it just doesn't make sense."

"Maybe we found a loophole!" Ferio laughed.

Fuu laughed lightly. "Maybe..." she whispered. She leaned towards him and kissed his softly, and he returned the kiss gratefully. Fuu played with Ferio's forest green hair and Ferio moved his hands up and down her back. When they pulled away, Fuu laughed.

**__**

**Donna aishita mo osorezu ni** [Without being afraid of tomorrow]

"What?" Ferio asked.

Fuu laughed again. "It's weird. Your fangs didn't press into my mouth that time."

Ferio blushed hotly. Was... was that really a problem...?" he stuttered.

Fuu giggled. "I was kidding." Fuu leaned in and kissed him again. Ferio smiled as her lips brushed against his. Fuu pulled away and wrapped her arms around Ferio's neck, resting her head on his shoulder. She heard Ferio sigh tranquilly and she smiled softly and closed her eyes.

__

Not quite a fairy-tale ending, she thought. _But... almost._

**__**

**Kizutsuku bakari no Lonely Heart** [A lonely heart that's only been wounded]

**Buchikowaseba ii** [It's alright if you break it down]

~*~*~*~*~

Hikaru sat with Lantis, gently tracing the frame of his face with her hand. Lantis took her hand in his, and touched it gently to his mouth, kissing her fingers softly. Hikaru smiled gently at him, tears brimming her eyes. She bit down on her lip, willing herself not to cry. Lantis looked at her kindheartedly and wiped a tear from her cheek as it fell from her eye.

"Why are you crying?" he asked softly. "Are you sad?"

**__**

**Do you... do you know your true Tenderness?**

Hikaru shook her head, a small smile on her face. "I'm crying because I'm happy!" she laughed gently.

Lantis smiled.

"When the eclipse happened, I was so sure that you..." Hikaru cut off, she couldn't say it.

Lantis embraced her tightly and Hikaru's tears fell against his black shirt.

"But... you're here!" Hikaru wept happily. "You're here..."

Lantis smiled, then reached up to his ear, tenderly feeling the top of his ear where it had been pointed before.

Hikaru lifted herself from Lantis and stared into his violet eyes. "I'm so happy that I'm here with you," she whispered.

**__**

**Sore wa dare nimo nite inai** [That is unlike anyone else's]

"Me too," Lantis replied.

Lantis leaned towards her and their lips brushed against one another's. Tears glistened on Hikaru's cheeks as she cried. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he slipped his arms around her waist. The sun, just beginning to rise over the horizon, shone pink through the window, reflecting against any metal in the room and bouncing off glass. A rainbow of colors blazed around them, and seemed to join at the glass ornament in the center of a nearby table.

__

Forever, Hikaru thought._ I'll always be with you._

****

**Kimi ga kimi de iru tame ni** [Tell me what it is that you're looking for]

**Sagasu mono wo oshiete** [So that you can be yourself] ((!!END SONG!!))

~*~*~*~*~

Clef smiled down happily at Umi, who was leaning against him, resting her head on his chest. He stroked her hair gently, and she moved away, taking one step backwards, to stare into his eyes. The brilliant azure hue of his eyes sparkled, and Umi smiled and leaned towards him, kissing him gently. Clef wrapped his arms around her waist, and when they parted, she spoke.

"I think I've figured it out," Umi told Clef.

"Figured what out?" Clef asked.

"Why you didn't... die," Umi said hesitantly.

Clef's eyes softened.

"You remember that last line of the prophecy," Umi said. "_And, when the moon has turned into a ring of fire, blazing in the blackened sky, the demons shall fall, and as the moon is reborn, the demon race shall perish._"

Clef nodded.

"And all of your demon qualities are gone?" Umi asked. "Instincts and all?"

Clef laughed. "Yes."

"Then the demons truly did perish, and you became human."

Clef laughed softly again. "Clever!"

Umi smiled and giggled before kissing him again. Umi ran her fingers through Clef's lavender hair as Clef fingered Umi's light blue tresses. Clef's free hand folded around Umi's, and they gripped each other's hands tightly. When Umi pulled away, she rested her head of Clef's shoulder.

"Aishiteru," she whispered into his ear.

"Aishiteru," was his soft response. "Itsumo."

Umi smiled softly and closed her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Clef's shoulders, and felt him move his hands to her back. As the sun rose over the cliffs, he light shone upon them, and, among the soft calls of the birds, Umi could hear the familiar tune of that beautiful song.

__

"O, hunters of the night

Never sleeping, always watching

Please watch over me

Guardians of the Night

Never resting, always listening

Please light my path

Night hunters..."

~*~*~*~*~

OMG... It's over... *cries* ;_; *sigh* Thank you SO much to EVERYONE who reviewed, and a special thanks to those who reviewed so devotedly, **blazingIcEph0eniX**, **hyper*italian*gurl**, **Virginia Choir**, **shazzam**, **inu87yasha**, **Momentum**, **Iarly**, and to any others whom I have not listed. You guys are awesome! All of your reviews have given me the confidence to keep writing this fic—it's my first fic, after all. 

I'm kinda sad that's it's finished already... I really enjoyed writing this, and I hope you enjoyed reading it! ^_^ Maybe I'll post a new fic soon... (or not... you never know) If you have any questions, feel free to put them in your review, and maybe I'll make a little section on my FF.Net profile called "Ryoushi no Yoru FAQ"! LOL Anyways, just a quick question for everyone: **Do you think I should write a sequel or epilogue? **I have considered this, but I would like others' opinions, so please tell me in a review if there should be a sequel. Anyways, this has been so much fun! Thank you all! As for now, **PLEASE REVIEW!!!**


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